Overtime Heroics’s Top 25 for College Basketball

1.Michigan State

Michigan State has a great mixture of veterans and freshman entering the 2019-2020 season. Nick Ward may be gone, but the majority of their cast returns, including Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford. Their entire starting five will be returning players. Rocket Watts, who played with Lamelo Ball at SPIRE academy, will be coming off the bench. This Spartans will be deep, tall and lethal from 3. Tom Izzo is a phenomenal coach, but hasn’t won it all since his 2000 and that could definitely change this year.

2. Kansas

Jayhawk nation has a lot to be excited about this year. Leading scorers Dedric Lawhon and Lagerald Vic are gone, but Kansas shouldn’t panic just yet. They brought in five 4-star recruits this year and have many players returning as well. Udoka Azubuike is now healthy and Devon Dotson will increase his production. Isaiah Moss will be the lone freshman starter, which means Bill Self will have a veteran starting lineup. NCAA investigation aside expect Kansas to win the Big 12 again, as they are the cream of the crop in their conference.

3. Duke

It was tough for me to not have my blue devils at number one, but this team will be very good once again. Zion, RJ and Cam Reddish may have departed for the pros, but Tre Jones staying another year is huge. Duke had the #3 recruiting class with 5 star recruits Vernon Carey and Matthew Hurt leading the way. Wendell Moore and Cassius Stanley round it out, so this will be a freshman heavy starting lineup. If they can all co-exist and some veterans can improve Coach K will take another run at title number six.

4. Kentucky

The one and done Wildcats did it again. Even losing PJ Washington and Tyler Herro to the draft won’t slow down Calipari and Kentucky. They have the #2 recruiting class entering the year and will shockingly have starters that are not freshman. E.J. Montgomery and Ashton Hagans have experience and should help his young cast grow quickly. Their strength will be their back court with Tyrese Maxey leading the charge. Calipari will be searching to add another NCAA title and this basketball team could be one of his most well rounded yet.

5. Louisville

The ACC is usually a Duke vs UNC affair, but the Cardinals may have something to say about that. Chris Mack, entering his second year, will have a loaded roster after going 20-14 last season. Five-star recruit Samuell Williamson will make an impact immediately, even with so many guys returning. The ACC player of the year favourite Jordan Nwara will return, so expect some hardware coming Louisville’s way. No team has won back-to-back ACC titles since 2011 and Louisville could keep that trend going by taking the title. They have experience, youth, depth and talent, everything necessary to make an extended run into weeks two and three.

6. Gonzaga

Mark Few has made the NCAA tournament every year he has been at Gonzaga and it won’t be changing this year either. The loss of Rui Hachimura will hurt big time, but Gonzaga is still a good basketball team. Killian Tillie returns and they also have eight new guys on the roster, two of which will start. The West Coast Conference may be a joke, but Gonzaga is not. They have games against five ranked teams, including Arizona and UNC. We will see if Gonzaga is a legitimate contender long before tourney time.

7. Florida

The Florida Gators are going to give Kentucky a run in the SEC this year for sure. This is largely due to VT grad transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. choosing Florida over their rivals. Throw in returning players Noah Locke and Dontay Bassett and this team is sneakily good. They haven’t made it to the second weekend since 2017 and this year could break that streak. Mike White is entering his fifth year and it’s time to show the world that Gator basketball is back.

8. Maryland

Maryland will be tough to handle in the Big Ten conference this year. They lost Bruno Fernando, but return the one-two punch of Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan. In fact their entire starting lineup is returning players, meaning chemistry will not be an issue for the Terrapins. Chol Marial was a nice four star recruit addition at the center spot. Maryland will give Michigan State a run for their money in the Big Ten for sure under Mark Turgeon’s tutelage.

9. Memphis

The number one recruiting class found its home in the American Athletic Conference. Memphis won’ have much in the way of veteran talent with six players departing, but they have 7 recruits coming in to replace them. James Wiseman was ESPN’s #1 player and should be massive at the center position. People may think I am too high on the Tigers, but they will have the best player on the court every night. First year coach and NBA legend Penny Hardaway will be tasked with making all these pieces fit. Look for Memphis to peak at the right time and be a tough out in March.

10.North Carolina

Most teams would be thrilled to be tenth ranked entering the season, but not the Tar Heels. Any team that loses Coby White, Cameron Johnson, Nassir Little and Luke Maye would struggle to bounce though. Top recruit Cole Anthony will be relied on heavily, along with freshman Armando Bacot. Transfers Justin Pierce and Christian Keeling will help, but this will be a down year in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams will coach these guys up and will make them a formidable basketball team in the tough ACC.

11. Villanova

I am not as high on Villanova as most, but there is no doubt Jay Wright is one of the best coaches right now. Wright is a two-time winner of the big dance and returns a nice crop of talent. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Bryan Antoine, Eric Dixon & Justin Moore should do damage in the Big East. Throw in 3 returning players that will start and Nova should dominate the Big East this year. Eric Paschall was a big loss, but Jay Wright has proven to be able to replace talent and still win at a high level.

12. Texas Tech

Texas Tech is coming off their best season in program history, just missing out on winning the Madness. So while they lost Jarrett Culver and eveyone else but two players, the Red Raiders will be good. Chris Beard is a great coach and they have two grad transfers that will provide leadership right away. Jahmius Ramsey is their best recruit and will need to grow quickly. Texas Tech should be right there in the Big 12 standings and will be a fun basketball team to watch grow.

13.Virginia

The defending national champs are still a good basketball team. This is despite losing best players Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and Deandre Hunter to the NBA. They bring back Braxton Key and Mamadi Diakite from that championship team. Tony Bennett finally got it done last year and it will be interesting to see how he follows it up. Virginia has historically been great defensively which is why I put them so high. The ACC will be deep & Virginia will only get better playing top competition every night.

14. Arizona

Two words: Nico Mannion. This guy is a phenomenal young prospect for the Wildcats. Sean Miller in his 11th season will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing year as well. Last year was their first year missing the tournament since 2012. Josh Green is another five-star recruit they added, so they will rely heavily on him and Nico. UC Irvine transfer Max Hazzard will give them some leadership as the wildcats look to take the weak Pac 12

15. Seton Hall

The only real challenger to Villanova in the Big East is Seton Hall. They bring back all but one player from last year, despite a weak recruiting class. This is a veteran team to watch out for, as they are experienced and deep. They also return Myles Powell for his senior year, who could be an All-American this year. This is a team I wouldn’t want to face in March as they are battle tested for sure.

16.Oregon

Oregon had a down year, despite winning a few games in the NCAA tournament. Bol Bol was injured and this year they lose him and five others. That said, Oregon had a strong recruiting class led by C.J. Walker. They will be young and hungry to take the Pac 12 title for sure. This team is a big question mark, but their young talent alone should be enough to be a Top 5 seed in March. I cannot wait to watch this team grow throughout the year.

17.Baylor

The team with some of the brightest jerseys in division one also had a bright future ahead of them. The majority of their team returns and they play in the top heavy Big 12 conference. Mark Vital, Devonte Bandoo and freshman Jordan Turner should be a lethal trio. They also had two transfers with a ton of upside, meaning Baylor should win a ton of games. Scott Drew is a really underrated coach as well and should have a great year in Waco.

18.Washington

This is the one team I went out on a limb for this season. Washington lost five players from their PAC 12 leading team last year. That said, Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels are some of the top prospects coming out of high school. They still bring back Nahziah Carter and Hameir Wright from last years team as well. This is a nice combination of youth and experience that should bode well for their season. The Pac 12 is still weak, so Washington will certainly compete for the title.

19.Xavier

Xavier should have a bounce back year after their down year in the NIT. Four of their starters return and they also bring in 5 four-star players. They also have a couple of eligible transfers. This is a team with a lot of talented guys ready to go. While they are just slightly behind Nova and Seton Hall, don’t sleep on the Musketeers. With so many unknowns this could be a team that makes noise or flames out early on. We are taking them as legit contenders in the Big East

20. Ohio State

Ohio State has struggled in recent years, but this year should be a good one. Chris Holtmann is entering his third season and has likely his best roster. Freshman point guard D.J. Caton will be fun to watch and they return lots of guys. C.J. Jackson and Keyshawn Woods will be significant losses, but with so many returning players they will be fine. Expect Ohio State basketball to be near the top of the Big Ten.

21. LSU

Naz Reid will be a big loss for LSU, but that is where the bad news stops for this team. The best move they made was holding onto Will Wade. They had plenty of players ready to leave, but returned based off Wade staying. This team could flame out if the NCAA drops their Notice of Allegations on them. In the mean time this team has talent and brought in a couple solid recruits. We are high on LSU unless the NCAA comes knocking.

22. Saint Marys

The only real competition for Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference just sneaks onto our list. They are led by Jordan Ford, who should have a huge year for Saint Marys. They have quite a few returning players and are bringing in 7-foot-3 center Aaron Menzies. Randy Bennett has a nice team here and we could see two teams coming out of this historically bad basketball conference this year.

23. Auburn

Aubun, like Texas Tech, is coming off their best year in school history. The Tigers made their first final four in school history. They lost to eventual champions Virginia but will return a solid team in the SEC. Chuma Okeke is gone, but J’Von McCormick will return and has a ton of potential. I am not saying another Final Four appearance is in the cards, but they will be a top 25 team in college basketball this year. Too many good players coming back for them not to be.

24. Utah State

This is not a team I am as high on as many others, but they are still in the Top 25. Don’t get me wrong returning all but one player from last year is huge. My issue is that the Mountain West conference is that bad. Sam Merrill could be an All-American and the Aggies will need him to be. They will make the tournament with ease and should give any basketball team trouble.

25. VCU

Well known VCU rounds out our top 25 this year. The Atlantic 10 conference won’t be strong, but the Rams will be. These guys won 25 games last year and return with all but one player from that team. They went 16-2 in their conference and will be a fun team to watch all year. VCU should win the Atlantic 10 basketball title with ease.

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