College Basketball Top-25; All-American Teams Post NBA Draft Decisions
Now that we’re pretty close to knowing what the rosters will look like for next season, it’s time to put together another early top-25. There’s still one major decision out there right now is Reid Travis announcing he’s a grad transfer and likely deciding between Kentucky and Villanova. So without any more hesitation, the 2018-19 way too early top-25 rankings and All-American teams.
1. Kansas
The Jayhawks bring in a lot of transfers for next season with guys like Dedric Lawson, KJ Lawson and Charlie Moore joining. However, the addition of Udoka Azubuike now provides Kansas with a big post player to play around and can surround him with scorers. Along with those guys, Kansas also brings in David McCormack, Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes as big time recruits. This is a really, really good team.
2. Kentucky
This is going to be a different look for Kentucky. The guys they recruited bring in a shooting dynamic and they are going to have two of them in Herro and Baker. Keldon Johnson is someone to keep an eye on as he’s just an absolute playmaker. They do return Quade Green, PJ Washington and Nick Richards to add a bit of experience to the roster. If they get Reid Travis, Kentucky will be the No. 1 team in the country for me.
3. Nevada
Yep, the Wolf Pack are the No. 3 team in the country. Why?
Yeah, that’s a pretty good reason for me. This team is loaded and I welcome you to joining me on the bandwagon.
4. Gonzaga
The Bulldogs will have plenty of depth and talent on this team. They return Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie, who are both future NBA players. But, what I really like is the development of Zach Norvell, the guy who hit two big shots in the NCAA Tournament this past season. He’s the type of player that typically thrives under Mark Few. Also keep an eye on Brandon Clarke, a transfer who can have a huge season for Gonzaga.
5. Villanova
Yeah, I’m still buying Villanova despite losing Bridges, Brunson, DiVincenzo and Spellman. Why? Well, first, Jay Wright has proven no matter what he has he can make it work. It’s dumb to doubt them at this point. The other reason? There’s still an absurd amount of talent on the roster. Eric Paschall and Phil Booth were two starters last year and fifth year guys. They return Gillespie, Cosby-Roundtree and Samuels, all of which were in the rotation as freshmen. They bring in the best recruiting class under Wright and Albany grad transfer Joe Cremo. This is a Final Four type of team.
6. Duke
This Duke team is going to be really interesting to watch, simply because K is going to have to adjust again. Their best lineup is going to be playing true small ball with Jones/Reddish/Barrett/Williamson/Bolden. The question is can he commit to that? K prefers having a traditional big out there and he won’t have that unless Bolden is playing consistently. Cam Reddish is going to end up being the best player in the class of 2018 though.
7. Tennessee
Tennessee doesn’t have to add anyone because it returns quite literally everyone. You’re going to see them do what they did this year and that’s hustle their ass off and play through Williams and Schofield. Williams is the reigning SEC Player of the Year and has the unique build to him where he’s undersized but knows how to get position so well. It wouldn’t shock me if Tennessee spends some time next year ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.
8. Virginia
Despite the loss to UMBC, I’m still buying into the new rule that you have to have a Tony Bennett coached team in the preseason top-25. It’s just how it is. That said, De’Andre Hunter is the guy that everyone is talking about and can be the star of this team. He was a top-100 guy that picked Virginia over Villanova and was perfecting his sixth man role before getting hurt right before the NCAA Tournament. He’s going to be the most athletic guy on the roster and can take advantage of mismatches. They return experience in the backcourt with Guy and Jerome and their low post guy in Salt.
9. Virginia Tech
Here comes Buzz Williams. He gets to return seven of his top guys and gets back Ty Outlaw, who missed the season due to injury. The biggest thing here is going to be can Alexander-Walker be that potential first round pick so many people see in him? They get a top-60 guy in Nolley and we know that Buzz will have them ready to go. This is a program that keeps getting better year after year with him.
10. Oregon
Oregon was a bit of disappointing team to me this year, but expectations are back after just one year removed from a Final Four. That’s what happens when you land four top-60 recruits including two top-20 guys in Bol and King. Wooten is one of the best defenders in the country and Pritchard is just a steady hand in the backcourt. I think you see this team come together a lot quicker than we saw the 2017-18 version.
11. Kansas State
This may be the team that everyone thinks is ranked too high, similar to a Northwestern type feel from last year. They got hot late, but at the same time, they were also fourth in the Big 12. They return everyone, including a first league guy in Dean Wade. Throw in that defense with Brown and Diarra plus all the depth and that’s how you get Kansas State at 12.
12. Auburn
Auburn does lose Mustapha Heron, which was a bit of a surprise, but the co-SEC champions still bring back quite a bit from last year. Most notably the Tigers will get back Austin Wiley, who missed all of last year due to eligibility questions stemming from the FBI investigation. Keep an eye on Anfernee McElmore’s health as he makes his way back from a nasty ankle injury.
13. North Carolina
I really like the duo of Cam Johnson and Nassir Little for next year. However, how do you replace two guys like Berry and Pinson? The real question is going to be can Coby White, who isn’t your prototypical point guard, handle that spot as a freshman? If he’s able to run that secondary transition correctly, they’ll be fine because Little/Johnson are that good. Throw in Maye coming back and he’ll be a favorite for preseason ACC Player of the Year.
14. Florida State
It was kind of shocking to see CJ Walker announce his decision to transfer and quite honestly that cost them a top-10 spot for me here in the preseason. What they do have though is a bunch of wings that can break you down. We saw what they did in the NCAA Tournament and that group of Walker/Mann/Cofer/Savoy is a group I really like. Throw in the size and rim protection and this could be another Elite Eight trip.
15. Michigan
This is probably the highest you’ll see Michigan without Wagner coming back, but that’s because I’m sold on Teske stepping in at the five spot and also just John Beilein being that damn good. Yes, they lose three rotation players, but they still have two point guards in Brooks/Simpson. I think Matthews takes yet another step next year and Poole turns into a big time scorer. This should actually be another year of a top-10 defensive team as well. If Wagner comes back they may be top-5.
16. UCLA
The Bruins do lose Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh, but there’s just so much talent on this roster. They return Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes along with adding guys like Shareef O’Neal, Tyger Campbell and Moses Brown while also getting Cody Riley and Jalen Hill returning after the China shoplifting suspension. UCLA should battle Oregon as the favorite for the Pac-12.
17. Mississippi State
Ben Howland has his best team at Mississippi State and there’s some real star potential when you look at Weatherspoon brothers, Peters and Reggie Perry. Perry is a top-20 recruit while Woodard is No. 53. They’ll be able to beat you from a couple different ways and Howland is returning a top-40 defense. That number should shoot up to a top-30 defense with the addition of a guy like Perry.
18. Louisville
Part of this is the Chris Mack effect and part of this is Louisville will finally get to play with a clear mind this year. I think David Padgett did a really good job given the circumstances, but you have to believe everything going on weighed on these kids a year ago. Mack is one of the 15 best coaches in America and comes in with a pretty deep rotation.
19. Michigan State
It’s going to be another weird year in terms of roster fit for Michigan State. They do have the backcourt set of Winston and Langford, but the question is going to be what do you do with that third spot. Do you play McQuaid there? Do you play three bigs? Do you play Loyer and go small? Do you play Brown and go big but still have a shooter? That’s going to be the point of intrigue for me. However, Winston is good enough to be a contender for preseason Big 10 Player of the Year and they have depth to the roster.
20. LSU
You need to know the name Tremont Waters if you don’t already. The diminutive point guard was one of the better freshmen this past year and he can absolutely beat teams by himself. Giving him a weapon like Naz Reid (McDonald’s All-American) another year with Mays and Sampson and a guy in Bigby-Williams that can protect the rim and LSU is a top-25 team.
21. TCU
Jamie Dixon has this thing really starting to roll down there at TCU. More importantly he gets back Jaylen Fisher from injury as the point guard is one of the best point guards in the Big 12. Pairing him with Robinson in the backcourt and it makes it damn tough to press them. I like the depth of this roster and it will make up for the loss of Brodziansky and Williams.
22. Clemson
The Tigers were able to avoid a terrible offseason by getting three major pieces back. The Tigers do lose Gabe DeVoe, but the core of Shelton Mitchell, Elijah Thomas and Marcquise Reed is good enough to keep Clemson in the top-25. I will be curious to see just how much depth this roster has though.
23. West Virginia
I know it seems like there should be a huge dropoff in expectations because you lose one of the best players to ever go to West Virginia, but here’s where we are. The Mountaineers have an elite defender in Konate, who was arguably the most improved player in the country. Ahmad was thought to be a breakout player/NBA type player last season but missed half the year. They still have a plethora of guards. Press Virginia will still be a thing.
24. USC
This was a team that felt like a snub from the NCAA Tournament and adds some nice pieces here to a core that should bounce back. The key is going to be if Boatwright can be their go-to guy on a consistent basis. There are still some questions when it comes to point guard play though.
25. Maryland
Maryland was wildly disappointing this past season and Maryland fans are starting to get annoyed with Turgeon’s inability to seemingly develop the sort of talent that has come through College Park. That said, this team, despite losing Justin Jackson has really nice pieces. You have a duo to build around in Cowan and Fernando. From there plugging a top-25 recruit in Smith and a top-50 guy in Wiggins is perfect
Honorable mentions: Xavier, Syracuse, Florida, Indiana, NC State
All-American Teams
1st team
Caleb Martin (Nevada)
Mike Daum (South Dakota State)
Killian Tillie (Gonzaga)
Tremont Waters (LSU)
Cam Reddish (Duke)
2nd team
Cam Johnson (UNC)
PJ Washington (Kentucky)
Dedric Lawson (Kansas)
Carsen Edwards (Purdue)
De’Andre Hunter (Virginia)
3rd team
Romeo Langford (Indiana)
Grant Williams (Tennessee)
Tyus Battle (Syracuse)
Charles Matthews (Michigan)
Ethan Happ (Wisconsin)