As I look ahead to next season, I thought about some significant players who will have to step up and play a major role.

We know about the superstars like Duke's Jason Williams, Stanford's Casey Jacobsen, Juan Dixon of Maryland and Frank Williams of Illinois. Let's look at the Significant Six who must be consistent, positive forces for their teams to succeed.

	DICKIE V's SIGNIFICANT SIX
	Players who must step up for their teams to excel next season
	Robert Archibald – Illinois
	David Graves – Notre Dame
	Jeffrey Newton – Indiana
	Tony Robertson – Connecticut
	Casey Sanders – Duke
	DeShaun Williams – Syracuse

Let's start at Indiana. It looks like it's bye-bye for Kirk Haston, who figures to be a late first-round pick in the NBA draft. That opens up a void along the baseline.

One player who figures to fill in is Jeffrey Newton. He had a solid diaper-dandy season but was up and down last year. Newton has to give Indiana some scoring on the wing, good offensive rebounding on the interior and establish himself as a factor on the baseline. He must improve over the summer to pick up the slack left by Haston's departure.

At Connecticut, this could be a breakthrough year for Tony Robertson. The Huskies saw Albert Mouring move on, so Robertson has to step up on the perimeter. He must provide good ball-handling skills and good defensive pressure while adding some offensive firepower.

There was talk that Robertson might transfer, becoming All-Marco Polo. It's easy to run when things don't go your way; nobody competes harder than Jim Calhoun. Now Robertson has to go to practice, work hard and prove to his coach that he deserves playing time. If you play hard and perform, Calhoun will find a way to play you. Robertson has to show he's a big-time player in a winning environment.

At Illinois, Robert Archibald has to be a consistent contributor since Marcus Griffin is moving on. Archibald showed what he is capable of with 25 points and seven rebounds against Arizona in the Elite Eight. He will get all sorts of playing time on the inside.

Now Archibald has momentum to be a factor day in and day out. He needs Bill Self to count on him as he busts his gut, hustling and scrapping. If Archibald can score to complement Frank Williams and Cory Bradford, the Illini will be dangerous.

Syracuse has a talented performer in Preston Shumpert, who was knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer last season. Now Jim Boeheim needs more consistency night in and night out from DeShaun Williams.

Williams has ability but must improve on the defensive end. The Orangemen need him to be more significant since Allen Griffin is moving on. Williams must be focused on both ends of the court. Syracuse needs him to step up and play big.

At the Golden Dome, Troy Murphy has taken his inside-outside ability to the NBA. The Irish still have a solid nucleus, including incoming diaper dandy Chris Thomas. Look for Thomas to be a factor. Mike Brey also has Matt Carroll and Ryan Humphrey ready to lead. But it is time for David Graves to step up with his shooting ability. He must continue to make plays from the wing on a consistent basis. Graves has to be more than just a role player.

If Duke wants to win it all back to back, like in 1991 and '92, Casey Sanders has to be more of a force in the middle.

Rounding out the Significant Six is Casey Sanders. If the Dukies want to win it all back to back, like in 1991 and '92, Sanders has to be more of a force in the middle. You know the Blue Devils will get solid play from Player of the Year candidate Jason Williams, Michael Dunleavy on the perimeter, super soph Chris Duhon, Carlos Boozer and impact transfer Dahntay Jones from Rutgers.

Sanders has to get stronger physically. He must be more active on the inside, providing lethal shot-blocking ability. The 6-foot-11 Sanders must move up and down the court in transition.

He should have more confidence as the coaching staff gave him more quality minutes at the end of the season. Will he build on that? Only time will tell.

If Sanders can provide some scoring in the interior, help on the glass and block some shots, he will be an asset for the Dukies.

There you have it -- the Significant Six. If Archibald, Williams, Graves, Sanders, Newton and Robertson can make a difference, watch out, baby!