NCAA Basketball 10 Top Cover Candidates

The cover athlete for NCAA Basketball 10 is set to be announced on Tuesday June 23rd, just one day before the NBA Draft. Last year EA clearly didn’t put much importance into their cover, likely because there was no need to once 2K dropped out as competition. The selection was Kevin Love making for one of the most boring and uninspired cover choices in recent years.

This year there are a handful of names that could make sense as the potential cover athletes. Continue on to check out the top cover candidates.

Tyler Hansbrough

Ever since it was announced that North Carolina was voted to be the most difficult place to play in NCAA Basketball 10 it has almost seemed a foregone conclusion that the cover would represent that by going with Hansbrough. Even though he may not be drafted until the second half of the first round he has the name recognition, stats, awards, and National Championships that would prove valuable as a potential cover athlete. (50%)

Stephen Curry

If it isn’t Hansborough then I like Curry for the cover. Few players have generated the publicity he has from a smaller school such as Davidson. It would be a refreshing change to see a school that wasn’t considered a powerhouse represented on the cover, especially since there are always those teams that make an impact in March Madness. The son of former NBA player Dell Curry, he led the team to their first Tournament win in nearly 40 years and eventually all the way to the Elite 8 in the 2008 Tourney. He is a big-time scorer who could put up good numbers in his rookie NBA season and has high marketability factor. (20%)

Blake Griffin

The clear cut best player in the nation and #1 pick in the draft, the future LA Clipper would seem like the obvious choice for the cover. However EA has shown that they rarely end up taking the player that fits that description for their college basketball game. Griffin has the exposure now and with much more to come leading up to the season to get the game extra attention. However because of that he may come at a higher price than EA would find worthwhile. (18%)

Hasheem Thabeet

As the likely second or third pick in the upcoming draft, Thabeet was the National Defensive Player of the Year. He would certainly make for imposing cover art with his 7’3″ frame and could represent a focus on defense if that is what NCAA 10 decided to present. He would not make for an ideal spokesperson though.  (5%)

Ty Lawson

Lawson got a lot of credit for the Tarheels’ NCAA title run. Again he could fit the bill as the representative from the “toughest place to play” in NCAA 10 while coming from the National Champions. Despite all the publicity throughout the tournament (where much of that was based on how his injury would impact his play and the team’s chances) it would seem more likely that his teammate Hansborough would get the nod. (4%)

James Harden

Selected as the Pac-10 Player of the Year, Harden led the Sun Devils with 20ppg. He is projected as a top five draft pick. He falls in more as a darkhorse for the cover however given last year’s cover featured Love (also from the Pac-10) and Harden is not as widely recognizable as the other candidates. (3%)