It is that time of year when everyone makes their top teams for the next season and Kentucky is currently topping everyone’s list.
Here are Jason King’s top teams, with Kentucky on top and Louisville at #2.
1. Kentucky Wildcats: Could the Wildcats really go from first-round NIT losers to NCAA champions? Absolutely. Kentucky’s 2013 recruiting class is already being hailed as the best in college basketball history. The haul includes four players (Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Julius Randle and James Young) ranked among the nation’s top 10 prospects by ESPN.com. From a pure talent standpoint, this might be the best college basketball team ever assembled. But will it jell? Even though injuries and chemistry issues ruined his most recent team, John Calipari has proven to be excellent at coaching players who only plan to spend a year or two in college. He’s great at getting them to play defense and share the ball. It will help that some of Kentucky’s key players in 2012-13 (Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer) will return to provide veteran leadership, which is something the program sorely lacked last season. Another huge difference will be the point guard position, which lacked stability last season. Andrew Harrison could become the next star under Calipari, who has coached Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall and Brandon Knight.
2. Louisville Cardinals: Rick Pitino’s squad will be favored to make a third straight Final Four appearance. Point guard Peyton Siva is the only senior on the current roster. His leadership will be tough to replace, but Louisville signed two point guards (juco transfer Chris Jones and high school star Terry Rozier) who should more than make up for Siva’s absence. Forwards Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear are poised for breakthrough seasons along with Luke Hancock and Montrezl Harrell, both of whom were rotation players this season. The biggest question surrounds leading scorer Russ Smith and top rebounder Gorgui Dieng, who are considering leaving school a year early for the NBA draft. The departure of Dieng, who is projected as a mid-first-round pick, seems likely. But if Pitino can get Smith to return, the Cardinals will be good enough to challenge Kentucky for the NCAA title.
3. Michigan State Spartans: Derrick Nix (9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) was the only senior on the Spartans’ roster, so Michigan State should be the slight favorite to win the Big Ten next season over Ohio State — as long as everyone returns. Freshman shooting guard Gary Harris and junior forward Adreian Payne are both considered fringe first-rounders in the upcoming NBA draft. If they leave early it will knock Michigan State down a notch. The guess here is that at least one of them returns, if not both. Harris would have the chance to form one of the top backcourts in America alongside point guard Keith Appling. The twosome combined to average 26.3 points in 2012-13. Even with the loss of Nix, Michigan State — as always — will be one of the country’s most physical teams in the paint with players such as Branden Dawson, who could really take off as a junior. Tom Izzo’s team was good this season — but a year from now, it could be special.
4. Arizona Wildcats: Sean Miller’s squad loses three of its top four scorers (Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom and Mark Lyons) but the Wildcats should still be the class of the Pac-12. Arizona’s highly touted 2012 recruiting class started off slow, but post players Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett made huge strides in February and March and should enter next season full of momentum. Shooting guard Nick Johnson (11.5 points per game) emerged as a leader on the perimeter. He’ll benefit the most from the addition of Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell, the high-caliber point guard Arizona so glaringly lacked this season. McConnell averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 assists for Duquesne in 2011-12. Whether the Wildcats are a good team or an elite one will depend on the play of freshmen Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Gordon is the second-ranked power forward in the Class of 2013. Hollis-Jefferson is the fifth-ranked small forward.
5. Duke Blue Devils: The Blue Devils’ top three scorers — Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry — were all seniors. Still, as much as their departures will sting, the Blue Devils’ roster is far from bare. The biggest reason for optimism is incoming freshman Jabari Parker, a small forward who is the No. 2-ranked prospect in America by ESPN.com. Parker is good enough to make Duke the slight favorite for the ACC title and also a Final Four contender. Parker won’t have to do it alone. Point guard Quinn Cook improved as much as any player in the ACC this season and should take it to an even higher level as a junior. Combo guard Rasheed Sulaimon was one of the best freshmen in the nation in 2012-13, averaging 11.6 points while playing nearly 30 minutes per contest. The X factor could be Mississippi State transfer Rodney Hood, who averaged 10.3 points as a freshman for the Bulldogs in 2011-12. The biggest area of concern will be replacing Plumlee’s presence in the paint, where he snared 10 rebounds and blocked 1.4 shots per game.
You can see his entire top 25 by clicking here.
Would you put Kentucky #1 and does Louisville deserve #2 with Russ Smith and Gorgui Dieng leaving for the NBA?
