John Clay’s Top 25: Villanova, Gonzaga, Baylor, UK take the lead in an unusual year
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2020-21 College Basketball Preview
The Lexington Herald-Leader’s 2020-21 College Basketball Preview special section was published in the print edition on Sunday, Nov. 15. Click below to view all the stories from that section that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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My Top 25 for the 2020-21 college basketball season:
1. Villanova: Aside from Saddiq Bey, Jay Wright returns every prominent Wildcat for what should be another serious title run. Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are both standouts. Tulane transfer Caleb Daniels should add just the right touch to get ’Nova over the top.
2. Gonzaga: Freshman guard Jalen Suggs is the highest-rated recruit in Gonzaga history to go along with potential First Team All-American Corey Kispert, a tough power forward. Those are the building blocks for Mark Few, who has the makings of the type of powerhouse that could give the Bulldogs coach his first national title. Remember, Gonzaga was 31-2 last year.
3. Baylor: The Bears are celebrating the return of Jared Butler and MaCio Teague, both of whom could have easily entered the NBA Draft. Butler, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 16 points a game a year ago. Add power forward Mark Vital and Scott Drew may have a Final Four team in Waco.
4. Kentucky: It’s hard to underestimate the importance of Wake Forest transfer Olivier Sarr receiving his wavier for immediate eligibility in 2020-21. The 7-footer, who was coming into his own at the end of his Deacons career, was the missing piece of John Calipari’s puzzle that includes plenty of youth (of course) and plenty of talent (of course).
5. Virginia: Tony Bennett has three starters back from a team that went 23-6 a year ago. Plus, the Cavaliers welcome Sam Hauser from Marquette, where he averaged 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds before sitting out last season. UVA may not have quite enough to win a second title in three years, but it will make a run.
6. West Virginia: Huggy Bear is back. The always-lovable Bob Huggins says this may be the best roster he’s put on the floor in Morgantown. His top three players return from last year’s 21-10 outfit. Pay special attention to Oscar Tshiebwe, who averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds a year ago.
7. Michigan State: On paper, the Spartans look to be a notch or two below Tom Izzo’s 22-9 team of last season. But this is Izzo, who annually teaches a graduate-level class on grit. Junior forward Joey Hauser, the Marquette transfer who sat out last season, will be a big help. The 6-9 forward averaged 9.3 points and shot 42.5 percent from three-point range as a freshman.
8. Iowa: In a divided country, most everyone can agree that Iowa’s Luke Garza is the prohibitive preseason favorite for national Player of the Year honors. The 6-11 senior averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds a year ago, when he made 54.2 percent of his shots and 35.8 percent from the three-point line. Plenty of experience also returns for Coach Fran McCaffery, plus Jordan Bohannon is back after redshirting a year ago.
9. Duke: The Blue Devils lost four of their top six scorers from a year ago. But Mike Krzyzewski has another dynamite recruiting class led by Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach, DJ Steward and Mark Williams. Holdover Matthew Hurt could be the key to whether Duke will be back in contention for another Final Four trip.
10. Tennessee: It didn’t take long for Rick Barnes to rebuild from his standout 2018-19 team that went 31-6. John Fulkerson, Yves Pons, Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James return to go with five-star recruits Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson. The Vols will be Kentucky’s chief competition for the SEC title.
11. Texas Tech: Red Raiders Coach Chris Beard welcomes Georgetown transfer Mac McClung to an already-solid group. McClung averaged 15.7 points per game for the Hoyas, which should help Tech put the ball in the basket. Beard will take care of the defensive end.
12. Illinois: It’s taken Brad Underwood awhile but the former Oklahoma State coach appears to have the Illini in position to make a national run. Illinois got a significant boost when wing Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn decided to stay in school rather than head to the NBA.
13. UCLA: Mick Cronin’s Los Angeles debut suffered a shaky start before the UCLAns went on a fun run to close out the season, winning 11 of their last 14 games. Now the top five scorers return. Chris Smith’s withdrawal from the NBA Draft gave the Bruins an added boost.
14. Creighton: The Blue Jays return four starters from a team that went 24-7 a year ago. Ty-Shon Alexander did leave for the NBA Draft, but Coach Greg McDermott positioned his team as the No. 1 seed for the Big East Tournament last year.
15. LSU: With NCAA enforcement officials zeroing in on Baton Rouge, who knows what the future holds for Will Wade, but the Tigers’ coach returns Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart to go along with heralded freshman Cameron Thomas. Wade also welcomes in Shareef O’Neal, son of Shaq.
16. Kansas: Bill Self welcomes back some experience to go with five-star freshman guard Bryce Thompson, but you have to wonder if the Jayhawks have enough to win another Big 12 title and contend for a national title.
17. Wisconsin: The Badgers hope to ride the momentum from last year’s finish when Wisconsin won the final eight games of the regular season. Micah Potter might be the most valuable returnee for Greg Gard’s team.
18. Houston: You know Kelvin Sampson will have the Cougars playing tough, hard-nosed defense. Whether Houston has enough offensive firepower, especially after Fabian White tore his ACL, is another question. Former McDonald’s All-American Quentin Grimes came on strong at the end of last season.
19. Arizona State: Bobby Hurley lost Romello White, who transferred to Ole Miss, but he picked up five-star guard Josh Christopher to go with holdovers Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge. Marcus Bagley should be another impact freshman for the Sun Devils.
20. Florida: Keyontae Johnson is the key to Mike White’s chance for a turnaround from what was a disappointing 2019-20 season for the Gators. Johnson is a budding star and Florida hopes to benefit from better chemistry with this year’s group.
21. Texas: It’s a big season for Shaka Smart, reportedly on the Austin hot seat. Thankfully for the former VCU coach, he returns all five starters from a team that went 19-12 last season. Freshman forward Greg Brown is a welcome addition.
22. Ohio State: Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns picked the Buckeyes over Duke, which should help Chris Holtmann cope with the loss of four of his top nine scorers from a year ago. California transfer Justice Sueing will also help the cause in Columbus.
23. Alabama: John Petty Jr. and Herb Jones return for Coach Nate Oats, who also picked up Villanova transfer Jahvon Quinerly, a former McDonalds’ All-American who believes the Tide’s uptempo style better suits his game.
24. Rutgers: Yes, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights return seven of their eight top scorers from a team that went 20-11 last year and entered the AP Top 25 for the first time since 1979. Top-50 prospect Cliff Omoruyi has hopped on board Steve Pikiell’s train, led by All-Big Ten Third Team selection Geo Baker.
25. Indiana: Five-star combo guard Khristian Lander could be just what the doctor ordered for Coach Archie Miller, who has struggled to get the Hoosiers back in the national spotlight. Tracye Jackson-Davis, a 6-9 center who averaged 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a year ago, should take another big step.
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 3:09 PM.
