There will be so many good teams this season. Some of the teams are either Final Four or Bust. I will list my Top 5:
- Kansas – This will be Bill Self’s first year without Devonte Graham or Frank Mason. Those two were apart of the Jayhawks for so long it’s going to look a little weird without seeing them on the court. They are the #1 team coming into the season. And they’ll have such a great team. But lets not pump the brakes on this team. They did make it to the Final Four last season by beating Duke. And they got their hind ends beat by Villanova. They add the Lawson brothers from last season, they also add 5 star SG Quentin Grimes, 5 star PG Devon Dotson, and they 4 star David McCormack. With this stud recuiting class they have everything for another championship. And don’t forget they also brought Lagerald Vick in which he averaged 12.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.1 APG. Anything other than a FF is a bust.
- Kentucky they are in the same boat at Kansas. Kentucky got a huge transfer from Stanford in Reid Travis. Calipari adds 5 star SF Keldon Johnson, 5 star PF E.J. Montgomery, 5 star PG Ashton Hagans, 5 star PG Immanuel Quickley, and 4 star SG Tyler Herro. They have the talent part down. And they return Quade Green, PJ Washington, and they also bring back Nick Richards. Kentucky lost in the Sweet 16 to the Kansas State Wildcats. With every team like this they will struggle in the beginning then they’ll figure it out right before the tournament. Calipari’s Wildcats have a big game against Duke. Its going to be a big learning game for both teams. This is a great Kentucky team that reminds me of the team 2013 team with Anthony Davis. They great inside presents and they had great talent around AD, I am not saying that Reid Travis is the next A.D but the team shape is similar.
- UCLA – This is going to be a very good UCLA team this season. They do have a big gap without Shareef O’Neal at the PF spot. He’ll be missed by his teammates and coaching staff. UCLA has great talent and experience. Alford has great recruiting class to come in he has 5 star C Moses Brown, he had 4 star PF Shareef O’Neal, 4 star SF Jules Bernard, four star SG David Singleton III, 4 star PG Tyger Campbell, and 3 star C Kenny Nwuba. UCLA last season went 21-12 (11-7) and UCLA lost to St. Bonaventure by 7 in the First Four. The Bruins return Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes. UCLA fans want more production out of Coach Alford and even with Shareef O’Neal out which is a big lost but they still lots of talent. They have everything needed to make a Final Four. And this is could be a breakout year for UCLA. They have a great non-conference schedule they face Michigan State on a neutral, they face Notre Dame (at Pauley Pavilion), Cincinnati (at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena), and Ohio State (at Ohio State’s United Center). This could be huge breakout year for Alford’s Bruins.
- Gonzaga- Mark Few made his first Final Four a couple of seasons ago. Last season they went 32-5 (17-1). They lost in the Sweet 16 to the Florida State Seminoles. They do lose their top scorer Johnathan Williams. But this is still a great team. Mark Few returns Killian Tillie, Zach Norvell Jr , Josh Perkins, Corey Kispert, and Rui Hachimura. This team is somewhat under the radar because of all the loaded teams like Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas. But lets not count out Gonzaga they are always good Mark Few is a great coach and great recruiter. They will wreck havoc on the WCC conference like usual. They’ll face Washington (at home), they’ll also face Tennessee on a neutral, and North Carolina ( at Dean Smith Center). Those three games will be hard but winnable they are such a great team they’ll learn zone offense on Mike Hopkins’ Huskies and these are all top teams in their conference. Mark Few also doesn’t have a big recruiting class because of the talent he brings back. He adds 4 star C Filip Petrusev and 4 star SG Greg Foster Jr. These will be great adds to the Bulldogs.
- Duke has so much talent but they bring back little to no experience. This is such a great team Coach K knows the type of team he has. But their has never been a team that has won a championship that did not bring back anybody. Duke brings back Javin DeLaurier, Marques Bolden, Alex O’Connell, and Jack White. But these guys didn’t really see the floor last season. They also lose Coach Jeff Capel III. But this will not stop the Blue Devils this team is going to be very good. Coach K isn’t one of the best in the games for no reason. So he could be the first to do it.
Honorable Mentions: Virginia, Tennessee, LSU, and North Carolina.
