Houston’s season ended in the Sweet 16 against Illinois, and now they will be facing a lot of roster turnover. The good thing is that Kelvin Sampson got quite the haul in the portal to put Houston in a good position again.
I honestly like this team. Sampson got some dudes that can flat out score in the portal. Dedan Thomas is a great point guard who can also distribute the ball very well. Corey Hadnot (IPFW) can also pass, but will do a lot of damage scoring. He is good at getting inside, but also has a reliable 3-point shot to complement this. Mercy Miller will compete with Hadnot for the starting spot, but, if not, he’ll be a great piece off the bench. He really improved his 3-point shooting and got better on the defensive end. Ikenna Alozie should fit in well at Houston with his defensive motor and athleticism. Chase McCarty has a big opportunity, stepping into the starting 3 role.
This frontcourt is going to be very good, especially on the glass. Joseph Tugler is back as a defensive menace. Pair this with Kent State transfer Delrecco Gillespie, who averaged a double-double at Kent State. He’ll be the more impactful offensive frontcourt starter. Braden East is coming in from Lamar, averaging a near double-double as well. Freshman Arafan Diane stands at 7-foot tall. This frontcourt is going to dominate the boards and should be a problem for opposing teams.
I do have a concern with shooting. Hadnot and McCarty are the only real reliable shooters in the starting lineup. Miller provides some shooting as well. I just don’t know the extent that this will hurt the Cougars offense. On the defensive end, the guards may struggle a bit, but the frontcourt will provide a more than reliable line of defense behind them to make up for it. I don’t know if this Houston team will be as good as the past two years, but they should be a top Big 12 team again.
Rick Barnes’s Vols are up next! Last season, they put together a run and fell, again, one game short of the Final Four. The roster for next season looks extremely promising for another shot.
Pretty much, a lot left and a lot is coming in. DeWayne Brown is likely the only returner pretty much guaranteed a good chunk of time (possibly starting at the 5). I’m interested to see what jump he takes in his sophomore year. Troy Henderson should find himself in the backup ball handler role, but he’ll be battling freshman Marquis Clark for that.
I love this transfer class. They have a bunch of dudes who can flat out score. Juke Harris had a terrific sophomore breakout year at Wake with 21 ppg, with expectations of being the scoring leader here. The backcourt transfer duo of Terrence Hill Jr. and Dai Dai Ames is pretty underrated. Hill especially made a name for himself with his 34 point game against UNC in the first round of the tournament. Ames should work well off ball with Hill, but height could be a bit of an issue. This is why Tyler Lundblade was a great add for the Vols. He is 6’5 and shot over 40% from 3. Tennessee is a great place to put this strength on display.
Frontcourt additions of Jalen Haralson and Miles Rubin will be competing for starting spots and will definitely be big pieces. Haralson was a top 20 recruit playing at a dumpster fire of Notre Dame, so I’m excited to see what he can do on a team with a chance. He could really elevate this team up a tier.
I’m not sure the defense will be too great, but the offense will be phenomenal. There are 7 guys who averaged over 10 ppg last year at their respective schools (5 over 15 ppg). Chemistry is always a question with high volume transfer teams, but Tennessee should be very good. The SEC is shaping up to be very tough, so we’ll see how they fair against the other top teams in the conference.
Jon Scheyer has another loaded roster that is looking like a top 2 team (Florida) in the nation. He brings back a great core of returners and has combined it with incoming talent.
As a surprise to nobody, Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans are off to the NBA. Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster are back as phenomenal backcourt pieces though. Cayden looked very good when he had to step into the starting role late last year. Dame Sarr will be in the running for National Defensive Player of the Year and Pat Ngongba is a beast in the paint.
John Blackwell highlights the transfer class and he will likely be the Blue Devils top scorer. Duke brings in the top class again, but, unlike past years, only 1 will likely start. Stretch 4 Cam Williams will battle against the highly touted international 7-footer Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje for that spot. Deron Rippey should be the backup ball handler and Bryson Howard will be a backup wing. Rounding out the incoming class is Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski.
Overall, this Duke team is likely the deepest in the nation, has maybe the best backcourt, and one of the best frontcourts. The big thing to watch will be how Blackwell translates from an elite second option to a first option. Duke should make a deep run again, so it’ll be seen if they can finish the job this time.
UConn is coming off a national championship game appearance and is looking to get back to the pinnacle of college basketball.
Two key starters are back in point guard Silas Demary Jr. and Elite 8 hero Braylon Mullins. This should be one of the best starting backcourts in the sport. Solo Ball was supposed to be apart of this group, but unfortunately got surgery and is likely out for the season. The last starting returner is Jayden Ross.
Replacing the monster known as Tarris Reed is Najai Hines from Big East foe, Seton Hall. His numbers don’t pop, but he is an excellent rim protector and rebounder, who will be a monster in the paint. Also coming in from Duke is Nik Khamenia, who should be slotted in at the starting 4. UConn added Nils Machowski and Oskar Giltay via the portal. Marchowski is a volume 3 point shooter and Giltay is a young center with a lot of potential.
To be honest, I am a bit bearish on UConn this upcoming season compared to most with the injury. By this I mean I believe they’re closer to number 10 than 1. Ross and Khamenia really have to take the next step and the bench freshmen have to be ready. If they can do that, then UConn will be in the mix once again. No matter what, you never doubt Dan Hurley in the tournament though.
First offseason preview is the reigning champs, Michigan Wolverines! Michigan is back and looking stacked again to attempt back-to-back national championships.
Michigan lost their 3 top scorers to the NBA, but did return two key backcourt pieces in Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. Pair this with top 10 recruit Brandon McCoy and this backcourt is amongst the best in college basketball. Unfortunately, they won’t have LJ Cason though, who would’ve been a cherry on top for the Wolverines.
J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam are transferring in to round-out the starting lineup. I personally, especially, love the Thiam pick up to pair with Cadeau’s playmaking abilities. Pretty much Dusty May is using the same strategy that won him the championship, size. Estrella, Reed, and Thiam are all going to give opposing teams fits.
My only concern with Michigan is depth. Reed is proven, but the other main options are looking like freshmen and guys who didn’t play too much. Regardless, Michigan is going to be an excellent team that should be one of the best in college basketball, once again.
CBB Bet of the Day 11/11: Penn State -11.5.
We are absolutely tearing it up rn on a 7-1 run!!! Navy just got absolutely embarrassed vs Yale and Penn State looked better. 11.5 is too low
CBB Bet of the Day 11/11: Penn State -11.5.
We are absolutely tearing it up rn on a 7-1 run!!! Navy just got absolutely embarrassed vs Yale and Penn State looked better. 11.5 is too low