College Basketball Preview

NCAA Trophy

The start of the college basketball season is here, and there are a number of very talented teams. This season may possess the most talent of any college basketball season in a long time. Between a top recruiting class and talented returning players, the season is expected to be a great one. Here are my thoughts on the the road to March Madness.

1. Kentucky

Julius Randle Laughing with Marcus Lee

Kentucky is stacked this year. Last year, Kentucky had many talented recruits, but because of injuries, they did not even make the NCAA tournament. Nerlens Noel left to the NBA, but most of their talented class returned, as well as a new, talented 2013 recruiting class, led by Julius Randle. Randle, above, was the number three overall recruits and has high expectations. The team is young, as nine of their sixteen players are Freshmen, but Randle will have help. He is one of their five five star recruits. They bring in point guard Andrew Harrison, shooting guard Aaron Harrison, small forward James Young, Randle is the power forward, and Dakari Johnson is center. Kentucky also signed four star recruit Marcus Lee and two more three star recruits. This is an unbelievable recruiting class, and should score a lot of points throughout the year. The combination of the new freshman and returning sophomores should be just about unstoppable.

2. Kansas

Andrew Wiggins

If someone were to ask about Kansas, naming their Canadian freshman Andrew Wiggins would be a good enough explanation. He is just that good, and he is drawing comparisons to Lebron James when he was coming out of high school. NBA teams are already planning on trying to get a lottery pick just for Wiggins and a few of his fellow freshman recruits. Wiggins is a 6’8 200 pound small forward, as well as amazing talent. His combination of size, strength, and talent will make him a superstar one day. Even though Wiggins is amazing, he will have some help. Five star recruits Joel Embiid and Wayne Selden will help, as well as sophomore Perry Ellis and Senior Tarik Black. They should stay in the top five all year, the only way they fall is if a few of their top players get injured or Wiggins and Selden struggle under pressure.

3. Michigan State

Gary Harris

Unlike most of the other top teams in the country, the Michigan State Spartans will not be relying on a new freshman to be their go to player. Instead, they will be relying on sophomore Gary Harris, who has already proven himself on the big stage. Of the top teams, Michigan State is probably the most proven of them all. They can use their experience over schools like Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas to beat them in late game situations. In this moment, until Wiggins, Parker, and Randle really prove themselves, I would want Gary Harris shooting the ball. Gary Harris will also have many guys to work with. As shown in their first game, Michigan State had five other players scoring in double digits. This showed that they could score with more than a few players. Denzel Valentine is a sophomore guard, Branden Dawson is a junior small forward, Keith Appling is a senior guard, Travis Trice is a junior guard, and Adreian Payne is their senior center. All of them should contribute next to Gary Harris, and all of them have played on the big stage before, so I expect them to go to the national championship against either Kentucky or Kansas.

4. Duke

Sport Illustrated cover of Jabari Parker

Andrew Wiggins is Canadian, so Jabari Parker is considered the best American basketball recruit. Parker is a top player, and is also going to be a star one day. Parker is just about as good as Wiggins, making this recruiting class so good. The amazing thing about Jabari is that he is Mormon, and was considering BYU. This would have been a huge thing for their program, but Parker chose Duke in the end. This made an already top twenty team into a top five team. Parker is real good, and can lead duke deep into the NCAA tournament. Rodney Hood is also a very talented sophomore forward who will be another big part in Duke’s season. Junior guard Quinn Cook, sophomore guard Rasheed Sulaimon, and senior guard Tyler Thornton will contribute to Dukes scoring as well. They will need to score a lot if they want to keep up with the other top schools.

5. Marquette

Davante Gardner

 
Davante Gardner for a fact is one of the most underrated college basketball players, and Marquette is one of the most underrated basketball teams this year. Losing Vander Blue definitely dropped them in the preseason polls, but they have a number of players who by the end of the year could fill his go to role. The top four teams in the nation are pretty obvious, but many teams qualify for number five. Louisville, Michigan, and Arizona are all up there. In my opinion though, Marquette will finish fifth in the nation. They have a soft schedule, so they will win many games, but have a few challenging games here and there including Wisconsin and Ohio State. They don’t have the biggest forwards, but have some of the fiercest and toughest forwards in the league. Gardener is a senior, so he is not talked about like some freshman, but sure can produce like them. He rebounds, plays good defense, can drive to the basket, and has a soft touch on his shot. He is a versatile weapon. Along with senior center Chris Otule, senior forward Jamil Wilson, and sophomore forward Steve Taylor Jr, Marquette could be a matchup problem down low. Todd Mayo and Derrick Wilson have to step up until Marquette’s best recruiting class under Buzz Williams develops into their potential. If one of their freshman turn into a star, or Todd Mayo makes a big jump, then this could be a special year for Marquette.