I think it would be a little cathartic to spend a few minutes not worrying about recruiting for next year and instead survey the college landscape for next year. Therefore do any of the projected top teams next year give you any pause?
#1. Virginia- Even with the loss of Justin Anderson and Atkins I think Virginia will start the year as the nation's top team. They may not be ranked that way because North Carolina on paper will have more talent but Virginia has displayed how a cohesive defensive juggernaut of a team can be wildly successful in this current college basketball universe. They will struggle to score but Sophomore Shayok is poised to break out and fill Anderson's shoes.
#2. North Carolina- they are losing there best defender in Tokoto and will have the same struggles at perimeter shooting as they have had the last two seasons. However in the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament they did improve shooting from deep and with Johnson, Jackson, and Meeks they will be the longest top team in the country.
#3. Maryland- Another year of the Melo Trimble show and they are adding Diamond Stone down low. They are losing their most consistent scoring threat in Dez Wells and after West Virginia exposed there weakness to pressure every team they play next year is going to some degree try and press them. They do have some solid role players in Nickens, Layman, and Cekovsky.
#4. Michigan State- Of these top teams this is the hardest one for me to project. There team's basketball soul was completely contained in three players last year: Dawson, Trice, and Valentine. They lost two of those players but they are bringing in arguably the nations's best transfer in Eron Harris and they signed two bull's in the post in Swanigan and Davis. This team could make another Final Four or finish 6th in a loaded Big 10 next year. Whoever they put out there at PG is the entire key because Eron Harris and Denzel Valentine can create there own shot but everybody else on that roster needs to be set up in order to score and they will be breaking in a new lead guard.
#5. Duke- I'm assuming they sign Ingram to go with Thorton, Kennard, Allen, Jones, Jeter, Plumlee and transfer Obi. They also get the benefit of the doubt because they have the best coach in the country. They are certainly going to be guard oriented and extremely soft in the post with little to no post scoring. But Coach K has had that issue before and had great season's with guard dominant teams.
#6 Indiana- I know they have been our whipping boy for the last two season's but if Yogi Ferrel comes back to join Justin Blackmon and they have a legit post player in Thomas Bryant they are going to be good. Bryant has to stay healthy and they have to at least try to play some Defense which they did not last season.
So that's my list of the top team's going into next season. It's only my opinion so there certainly may be other team's you think worthy of inclusion. But what say you? Do any of the team's for next year worry you? I will close by saying that I think North Carolina would be a tough match up for us unless we add Murray. They will be an explosive offensive team with a lot of length. And while I expect us to again be a really good defensive team if we don't add more scoring like Virginia we could have some issues on Offense. But regardless it at least appears at this juncture that there aren't very many really great team's in college basketball next year.
#1. Virginia- Even with the loss of Justin Anderson and Atkins I think Virginia will start the year as the nation's top team. They may not be ranked that way because North Carolina on paper will have more talent but Virginia has displayed how a cohesive defensive juggernaut of a team can be wildly successful in this current college basketball universe. They will struggle to score but Sophomore Shayok is poised to break out and fill Anderson's shoes.
#2. North Carolina- they are losing there best defender in Tokoto and will have the same struggles at perimeter shooting as they have had the last two seasons. However in the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament they did improve shooting from deep and with Johnson, Jackson, and Meeks they will be the longest top team in the country.
#3. Maryland- Another year of the Melo Trimble show and they are adding Diamond Stone down low. They are losing their most consistent scoring threat in Dez Wells and after West Virginia exposed there weakness to pressure every team they play next year is going to some degree try and press them. They do have some solid role players in Nickens, Layman, and Cekovsky.
#4. Michigan State- Of these top teams this is the hardest one for me to project. There team's basketball soul was completely contained in three players last year: Dawson, Trice, and Valentine. They lost two of those players but they are bringing in arguably the nations's best transfer in Eron Harris and they signed two bull's in the post in Swanigan and Davis. This team could make another Final Four or finish 6th in a loaded Big 10 next year. Whoever they put out there at PG is the entire key because Eron Harris and Denzel Valentine can create there own shot but everybody else on that roster needs to be set up in order to score and they will be breaking in a new lead guard.
#5. Duke- I'm assuming they sign Ingram to go with Thorton, Kennard, Allen, Jones, Jeter, Plumlee and transfer Obi. They also get the benefit of the doubt because they have the best coach in the country. They are certainly going to be guard oriented and extremely soft in the post with little to no post scoring. But Coach K has had that issue before and had great season's with guard dominant teams.
#6 Indiana- I know they have been our whipping boy for the last two season's but if Yogi Ferrel comes back to join Justin Blackmon and they have a legit post player in Thomas Bryant they are going to be good. Bryant has to stay healthy and they have to at least try to play some Defense which they did not last season.
So that's my list of the top team's going into next season. It's only my opinion so there certainly may be other team's you think worthy of inclusion. But what say you? Do any of the team's for next year worry you? I will close by saying that I think North Carolina would be a tough match up for us unless we add Murray. They will be an explosive offensive team with a lot of length. And while I expect us to again be a really good defensive team if we don't add more scoring like Virginia we could have some issues on Offense. But regardless it at least appears at this juncture that there aren't very many really great team's in college basketball next year.
