Archived: College Basketball Undervalued teams

The old one-&-done rule for collegians to qualify for the NBA is coming to an end, but does that mean this is the last season we’ll see the best freshmen bolt after just one year of service?

If this is the final top-notch class of freshmen leaving, the Duke Blue Devils stand to subtract the most talent. Atop the current NCAA basketball futures to win it all this season, the Blue Devils are led by RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson, a pair of rooks each averaging better than 20 PPG and locks to be lottery picks in the next NBA Draft. In fact, I believe they’re strong bets to go 1-2 in the draft, matching what freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did in 2012 coming out of Kentucky.

And The Wooden Award Goes To …

Barrett and Williamson are also going to be among the Wooden Award Finalists, along with Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura, Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ and Dedrick Lawson of top-ranked Kansas. But if you’re looking for a dark horse candidate, I like Purdue’s Carsen Edwards. A preseason top 235 team, the Boilermakers have disappointed so far, but they wouldn’t have been ranked early without Edwards who is averaging better than 25 PPG and hitting close to 40% of his treys.

Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield wasn’t on the initial Wooden watch list, thanks in part to playing in the shadows of reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Schofield sneak into the finalists if he continues to come up big for the Volunteers in marquee games, as the senior has already done in wins over Louisville, Gonzaga and Memphis.

Who Joins Kansas, Duke & Michigan As No. 1 Seeds Come March?

Guess that’s three predictions right there listing the Jayhawks, Blue Devils and Wolverines as three of the four No. 1 seeds in the Big Dance. But I’m not exactly going out too far on a limb with those picks, and the fourth could also come from a list of usual suspects. Duke could give way to either Virginia or North Carolina, depending how that trio does against one another in the ACC. Michigan State is quietly hanging around in the top 10, and we have to give strong consideration to either Kentucky or Tennessee out of the SEC. I will go out on a limb and not take any of them, however, instead going to Nevada. The Wolf Pack haven’t played a very strong schedule, but they’re still capable of being undefeated some Selection Sunday. Two games against San Diego State in the final 2½ weeks of the regular season will determine that, and the committee will have to at least think long and hard about Nevada.

Slipper Won’t Fit Loyola-Chicago This Time

The best part about the 2018 NCAA Tournament was watching the run Loyola-Chicago had into the Final Four. Many expect the Ramblers to be part of this year’s March Madness, but I’m not among them. They’ve already lost five games, including to a Furman team that has cracked the AP top 25, and covered the NCAA basketball odds in just four of their 11 lined games. I like either Southern Illinois or Indiana State to claim the automatic invite from the Mo Valley, and there won’t be room for two teams from the conference. Sorry, Sister Jean.

If Not The Ramblers, Who Is This Year’s Cinderella?

Furman got our attention by upsetting defending champ Villanova, the Paladins getting 16 at Bookmaker in that stunner. But it seems too easy to go with a team off to a 12-0 start heading into Friday’s game at LSU, and I like South Dakota State to make it at least to the Sweet 16. The Jackrabbits nearly pulled off a similar upset at Nevada recently, and are the class of the Summit League behind Mike ‘Double-Double’ Daum. They’re good enough to beat a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the opening round.