Way too early College Basketball Top 25
USA Today's version
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Virginia
4. Kentucky
USA Today's version
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Virginia
4. Kentucky
College basketball's way-too-early preseason top 25 teams for the 2020-21 season
- Thread starter BasketBallJunkie-UK
- Start date
I agree that #3 is probably a little too high. However, we finished #16 this year with an anemic offense. Sam Hauser is probably the most impactful transfer in the country. Plus, we’re also adding Jabri Abdur-Rahim, son of Shareef. He’s a top 40 recruit.
Would be surprised if Sam Hauser isn't an All-American next season. So yes, UVA will be back to contender status.
Also, it's funny how the ACC stunk it up in the year where we didn't have a tournament. ACC should return to form next season.
Pretty crazy how finishing 2nd in the ACC and #16 in the country doesn’t equate to contender status for UVA. Such lofty standards these days.
Yup. You guys had a rough December and January. That's about it. Offense should be much, much better next season.
With the transfer rule looking to be approved this summer, these lists are more ridiculous than usual this year.
August has the potential to be Free Agency in college basketball this summer.
August has the potential to be Free Agency in college basketball this summer.
By Conference:
AAC:
Houston (21st nationally)
UConn (Considered)
ACC:
Virginia (3rd nationally)
Duke (6th nationally)
Florida State (9th nationally)
North Carolina (18th nationally)
Louisville (Considered)
Big 12:
Baylor (2nd nationally)
Texas Tech (10th nationally)
Kansas (13th nationally)
West Virginia (17th nationally)
Oklahoma State (24th nationally)
Texas (Considered)
Big East:
Creighton (5th nationally)
Villanova (12th nationally)
Big Ten:
Iowa (7th nationally)
Wisconsin (8th nationally)
Michigan (16th nationally)
Michigan State (19th nationally)
Indiana (Considered)
Purdue (Considered)
Rutgers (Considered)
Illinois (Considered)
MVC:
Northern Iowa (Considered)
MWC:
San Diego State (15th nationally)
PAC 12:
Oregon (11th nationally)
UCLA (20th nationally)
Arizona State (25th nationally)
Colorado (Considered)
USC (Considered)
SEC:
Kentucky (4th nationally)
Tennessee (14th nationally)
LSU (22nd nationally)
Florida (23rd nationally)
WCC:
Gonzaga (1st nationally)
AAC:
Houston (21st nationally)
UConn (Considered)
ACC:
Virginia (3rd nationally)
Duke (6th nationally)
Florida State (9th nationally)
North Carolina (18th nationally)
Louisville (Considered)
Big 12:
Baylor (2nd nationally)
Texas Tech (10th nationally)
Kansas (13th nationally)
West Virginia (17th nationally)
Oklahoma State (24th nationally)
Texas (Considered)
Big East:
Creighton (5th nationally)
Villanova (12th nationally)
Big Ten:
Iowa (7th nationally)
Wisconsin (8th nationally)
Michigan (16th nationally)
Michigan State (19th nationally)
Indiana (Considered)
Purdue (Considered)
Rutgers (Considered)
Illinois (Considered)
MVC:
Northern Iowa (Considered)
MWC:
San Diego State (15th nationally)
PAC 12:
Oregon (11th nationally)
UCLA (20th nationally)
Arizona State (25th nationally)
Colorado (Considered)
USC (Considered)
SEC:
Kentucky (4th nationally)
Tennessee (14th nationally)
LSU (22nd nationally)
Florida (23rd nationally)
WCC:
Gonzaga (1st nationally)
Did Boston and Clarke shoot it any better from three with their high school teams? They both stunk it up in the EYBL and Peach Jam tournaments last summer.
Clarke: 26.4% (23-87)
Boston: 24.2% (15-62)
If they remain streaky shooter and Quickley leaves, I would zone the hell out of Kentucky next year.
Sometimes these numbers can be questionable because so many of these kids play so much hero ball in aau and high school. I remember brazdeikis had similar numbers, then a um site did a deep dive into his shooting splits. It turned out he was actually a 40%+ shooter on catch and shoot threes but he shot so many off the bounce ones that his overall numbers looked horrible. He turned out to be a 40% shooter at Michigan in his one year.
Pretty sure Boston was over 30% for his high school team. Was great all year for them and they were on TV more than anyone due to Bronny Jr.
I expect both to be good shooters next year. High school stats are always skewed due to shot selection. Not to mention UK has Juzang coming back and Allen should finally be healthy who's the best shooter on the team.
And I honestly don't know what their high school stats are, so maybe they just performed poorly during that stretch of games. I always thought Boston had a reputation as a shooter anyway.
I do recall someone saying that K and the staff backed off of Boston a little bit after his performance in the summer tournaments. Perhaps it was just sour grapes after losing out to Boston. We shall see. Obviously a lot can happen in 8 months.
I haven't seen anything new from Clarke so who knows. I do know he plays at a big basketball school but I guess they don't highlight their players. Boston was on ESPN+ all year and played multiple times on the big channels. I didn't follow the AAU season but he seemingly took a huge leap in high school ball. Outshined another top 10 recruit in Zaire Williams.
At this point I just hope there is a college basketball next year.
Vegas gave KU the 3rd best championship odds in the country, I think. Not sure if it's justified, but there are a lot of unknowns everywhere.
Dotson and Azubuike are probably gone, but they bring in a really talented shooting guard and the top rated juco.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say UNC is to high. Stud recruiting class coming in, hopefully Brooks returns and Bacot improves our frontline has the potential to be really good.
I've learned over the last season (and a couple of others) that these rankings are temporary at best. Fun to discuss, bit temporary. I need to see the proof nowadays.
EvilMonkeyInTheCloset
Well-Known Member
And rightfully so.....
Although, I agree with you that Iowa is probably rated even a little too low there. SmokinSmile
I think the top two seeds in the ACC Tourney next year will be the same two as this year, except switch the order @jhmossy.
Somewhat.
Virginia is still being way overweighted. That roster is a coin flip with Michigan on who is better yet they seem to be 20 spots a part on the lists. (And yes I understand the coaching angle, but that shouldn't make for that much of a difference)......
Virginia was 42 in Kenpom at the end of the year....
and what is the problem with that as both teams return every starter.
Iowa also gets a pair of starters back from injury, the biggest is Jordan a career 40% 3 point shooter and 89% FT shooter.
also is in a position to break the Iowa all time assist record of over 600 assists.
with him Fran will have on the court 4 3 point shooters at the same time. the 2 years when he played as SO he was slowed by a foot injury then as a SO he was slowed by a hip injury.
this fall he will be 100% after a 2nd hip surgery. so there is no reason not to see Iowa ranked in the top 10.
also how many teams are returning the NPOY by numerous services? Garza as a JR had these
23.9 ppg led the BT and was 5th in D1 BB
9.8 rpg
55 blocks
nice player to start with when putting out these early ratings.
PG - Marcus Garrett (national defensive POY), Dajuan Harris
Wings- Ochi Agbaji, Bryce Thompson, Christian Braun, Grant-Foster
stretch 4's - Jalen Wilson and Tristen Enaruna
Bigs - David M, Silvio De Sosa, Mitch Lightfoot
Pretty solid roster. they will be top 10. If Dave M and either Agbaji, Thompson or Grant Foster step up, they will have a great year.
lol yep.
The Peach Jam is in July before their senior years. So there's 16 months between that event and their first collegiate game. A lot can happen in that time period. I pointed out in March of 2018 that the Duke class of Zion-RJ-Tre-Reddish didn't have any elite shooters. And nothing changed in that regard.
I can buy the idea that some of the kids are pressing a bit and playing hero ball. Others are still developing. So, the shooting percentages aren't necessarily representative of how well everyone will shoot in college.
LOL, do you know how many times we hear that every year?
It never works, if it did, Syracuse would have better records than they have had.
Plus, how a kid did in HS has very little bearing on how they will do in a college game.
But Clark and Boston are top 5 recruits. They're 6'7", long and really athletic, so they're going to live in the lane.
UK will still have shooters next year though. Juzang and Dontai Allen are really good shooters, Brooks showed his shooting ability late and honestly, I highly doubt Quickly is leaving UK. If he does come back, I don't see how anyone can tout a better roster.
UVA is losing Diaketa and they weren't really all that good this year. They bring in the 13th ranked class and Hauser. Keep in mind, Hauser's numbers aren't going to be what they were at Marquette. He'll be playing in a tougher league and with UVA's style of play, I think his stats will be way down.
Gonzaga is losing Petrusev, Tillie, Gilder and Woolridge. So they're bringing in a pg that’s ranked 9th, cool, but it seems to me like they're losing more than they're gaining. Maybe Petrusev doesn’t leave, he's only a sophomore, but the word on the street has been he's jumping.
So when I look at those two rosters, I don't get why they are rated so high.
Baylor is another head scratcher. They lose Bandoo and Gillespie.
If those are the three best teams next year, cbb is even more down than it was in 19/20.
In college it’s not always about the most 5 stars. Just look at Duke, who hasn’t won the ACC regular season since 2010. Some teams win with the get old and stay old philosophy. 23 year old man vs 18 year old kid.
If Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams both stay in school (unlikely both do, but I’ve heard there are some feelings of unfinished business), then FSU says we ain’t scared of anyone.
Scottie Barnes (6’8)
MJ Walker (6’5)
Devin Vassell (6’6)
Patrick Williams (6’8)
Balsa Koprivika (7’1)
Try that lineup on for size. With a freaking stud JUCO Sardaar Calhoun, Polite, Osborne, Gray, and Evans off the bench.
There's maybe one team each year that can tout a better roster than UK. And yet, you haven't won it all since 2012 or made a Final Four since 2015.
You're complaining about hearing the same thing every year about being zoned yet you're spouting the same shit that we have to hear every year about UK.
Seems like you have to fight for that preseason championship since you haven't won a real won in almost a decade now.
Even still, we've won more NCAA titles than any other school in the past decade. And we've won more tournament games in the past decade, minus Kentucky.
Yeah, but I wasn't talking about FSU, I was talking about Gonzaga, Baylor and UVA. All three might end up being great, but when I look at what they're losing compared to what they're gaining, I don't see it.
However, I'm not sure why you brought up the "In college it’s not always about the most 5 stars" thing, I actually said the opposite of what you're implying. I disagree with the rankings, because those teams are losing really good veteran players and in Gonzaga's case, they're bringing in the #9 recruit. If he was a top 3 kid, I would think differently, but a #9 recruit isn't going to somehow make the team better when they're losing Tillie, Petrusev and Gilder.
Idk how good Clarke and Boston are from three. Maybe they're adequate shooters? That's a small sample size - and they have plenty of time to improve. Just thinking of Duke's 2019 team, and it was a struggle at times when teams packed the paint and we were forced to jack up threes. One or two lethal shooters could easily change the dynamics, so perhaps a moot point.
Sam Hauser was 2nd Team All-Big East last year. You know who else was on that 2nd Team? Kamar Baldwin, Naji Marshall, and Alpha Diallo. Anyone of those three guys easily could have made 1st Team All-ACC. And yes, I absolutely believe Hauser will be 1st Team All-ACC next year. Good chance he'll make one of the All-American teams. I expect UVA to consistently be in the top 5 next year. Defense is already there. Hauser will completely transform the stuttering offense.
Gonzaga can easily absorb the loss of Petrusev. They have Drew Timme, who honestly needs more playing time. He'll be a force next year. He's tough and physical, unlike Petrusev, who is very finesse. Anton Watson was a talented freshmen who had a season-ending injury. And Oumar Ballo sat out the year, as he was ruled academically ineligible. He was regarded as the best international prospect in the 2019 class... The backcourt should be very strong with Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, and Corey Kispert. That has a chance of being the best backcourt in the country.
As far as Baylor, Bandoo's loss is not the least bit material. He was a role player. You could make more of an argument for Gillespie. Tristan Clark was one of the best players in the Big XII in 2019. Led the nation in FG%. Probably would have been at least 2nd Team All-Conference. He's been very rusty since returning from his injury. If he can return to form, I expect Baylor to be a top 5 team again. They're also bringing in a couple of 4-star recruits. They'll be more than fine.
Last edited:
Wow, are you getting butthurt over my opinions about the preseason rankings?
Why are you top roping over what I said? Seems a bit uncalled for.
And why are you bringing up UK's title and FF stats? Why does that matter? It's not like UK gets ousted in the first weekend every year. UK is a threat to reach a FF most years, which is more than you can say about most other programs.
However, UK is bringing in two top 5 kids, they haven't done that since 2014. Also, there's a very good chance that more players return off the 19/20 team than we typically see return. If IQ and EJ return, sorry to say, UK is better than the three teams on this list and it really isn't close. (40-0 baby RollLaugh)
So, in short, I should put you down as one that disagrees with my opinions?
Duke has definitely done a good job of peaking in March and making the most of their draws. As we have seen with them and Kentucky, it takes a bit to get the freshmen all on one page, but when they get there it’s hard to beat.
