Thanks to all that have shared their opinions and info for the first 3. Here’s the last installment.
The Elite
3RD PLACE
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (last year’s finish: tied for 2nd)
I probably don’t need to go into depth about UVA’s team with this audience, so, I won’t. The Hoos have now reached the current status of a nationally elite team. Evidence of that? Other than Miami, no one in the ACC loses more talent than UVA via graduation, yet the preseason early polls put out by the likes of ESPN, CBS, and others all have UVA as a preseason top 10 team next year. A huge reason for that is obviously Tony Bennett. The national media has caught on that if Bennett is the coach, his team will have one of the best defenses in the country, his players will generally improve each year, and his teams will compete with any team in the country. They are also aware of the new top-level talent headed to Charlottesville and that Bennett has a great eye for talent that will excel in his system. Yes, the Hoos now don’t rebuild, they just reload!
Rumor has it that the sale of “Depends” are at an all-time high in the Charlottesville area as hoop fans are peeing their pants from excitement and anticipation of the talent arriving on the hardwood in 2016-7. Yet, this is a team that also has a wealth of experience at the college level. Three starters return, led by 4th year point guard London Perrantes. Devon Hall has been at UVA for 4 seasons as well, but redshirted one of those and is a returning starter on the wing. 3rd year PF Isaiah Wilkins most likely will start again. They’ll be joined by 2015 AAC first team all conference big man Austin Nichols, who was 3rd nationally that year in blocked shots at 3.4 per game to go along with his team-high 13.3 points per game as a sophomore. Nichols red-shirted last year. RS Jr. Darius Thompson, Jr. Marial Shayok, and RS center Jack Salt give the Cavs 7 players that have been in college at least 3 years (so, academically anyway, they are all upper classmen.)
Then there are the newcomers: all 6 (if you include Nichols) of which were consensus top-100 talents in high school. Last season, UVA was probably one of the deeper teams in the country talent-wise. This year, they could be even deeper in talent! UVA will once again be a threat to win it all, but with all the newcomers, it will take a little time for the team to gel. A huge assist will come from a summer trip to Spain that will give the team 10 extra practices and off-court time together to develop some chemistry.
So, without further ado, here’s the UVA roster for 2016-7. I could see Bennett easily playing a rotation of 9 to10 players, even in the likelihood that Jay Huff redshirts. And it may not be the same 9 or 10 each game – it could vary depending upon the matchups.
Roster: Seniors: London Perrantes, 6’2” PG; Juniors: Austin Nichols, 6’9” PF/C; Isaiah Wilkins, 6’7” PF, Devon Hall, 6’5” G; Darius Thompson, 6’5” G, Marial Shayok, 6’6” G; Sophomores: Jared Reuter, 6’7” PF; Jack Salt, 6’11” C; Freshmen: Mamadi Diakite, 6’9” PF (redshirt); DeAndre Hunter, 6’7” SF/PF; Jay Huff, 6’11” PF; Ty Jerome, 6’5” PG; Kyle Guy, 6’2” SG.
2nd Place (or really, 1b)
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (last year’s finish: tied for 5th)
Talent, talent, talent, talent, talent. Holy ratpoop, Ratman! Thinking back on all the national championship teams that Coach Mike Kryspdvsltzewslkdfsdjflasjfski has had, I’m not sure that he’s had a team deeper in talent than he will have this season. But it’s not only the depth in talent that makes this Puke team different, but also the type of talent. Coach K’s teams typically are loaded with quick wing players able to play his ball-denial defense, but short on big men, with a couple of power forwards manning the inside. It’s obvious that Coach K has been paying attention to the national landscape and this year’s Blue Devil team appears to be a carbon copy of the type of roster that John Calipari has been putting together at Kentucky. No wonder the two got into a very public recruiting spat earlier this spring – they’re going head-to-head now for most of the same talent in order to compose similar rosters.
Duke’s 2016-7 team will be loaded with big men. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Coach K puts together this team, especially defensively. This doesn’t appear to be a roster that will excel at K’s ball-denial defense. But then, defense has been Duke’s weakness in the past few years, so maybe K is evolving and will try something very different this season.
The returning talent alone would put Duke in the top half of the conference. The Blue Devils return 4 of their top 5 scorers (if you count the 9 games played by Amile Jefferson who eventually redshirted due to injury and will return for a 5th season.) Leading the way is returning top scorer and all-around bad boy, junior Grayson Tripntravel Allen, and his 21.6 ppg. Two other double-figure scoring guards return as well, senior Matt Jones (10.4 ppg) and sophomore Luke Kennard (11.8 ppg). Jefferson was averaging 11.4 ppg and 10.3 rebounds until he was shut down permanently. One might think that these would be 4 of your starters, but a look at Duke’s recruiting class would indicate otherwise. Let’s start with 3 players who were consensus top-15 picks by recruiting services: Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden give the Devils 3 towering, talented figures to add to the front line. If Giles is fully healed from his ACL injury, the 6’10”, 220 pounder is a sure starter. Tatum, at 6’8”, is a small forward! Bolden brings strength and skill upfront at 6’11”, 245 lbs. These players might make you forget that the Devils roster also includes last season’s freshman Chase Jeter, who at 6’10”, 240 lbs., was a consensus top-20 player himself. Also lost in the shuffle is another consensus top-40 big man from St. Anne’s – Belfield school in Charlottesville, VA – Javin DeLaurier, who brings hustle and beef with his 6’9”, 220 lbs. frame(Duke’s roster lists him now at 6’10”!) That’s 6 highly-rated frontline players 6’8” or taller. Where will the Devils find time to play Rice transfer, 6’9” , 250 lbs.Sean Obi or 7’0”, 270 lbs. Antonio Vrankovic?
If K’s boys have any weakness, one might look to the point where, once again, they will have only one true point guard on the roster, and that player is a true freshman. But that true freshman is a good one in 6’3” Frank Jackson, an aggressive top-15 guard from Utah. If he’s not on the court, then Matt Jones and Grayson Allen will have to share backup duties at the point. The odd man out of the starting rotation might be Luke Kennard if he doesn’t learn to play better defense. And remember, Tatum will likely often play the 3, so that’s 5 really, really good players for that 3-guard rotation.
Coach Krynkegknrvnzrppnqnski is used to playing an 8-man rotation, so it will be interesting to see if he expands that rotation in order to try and keep all these top players happy. Can K find solid chemistry with all these stars in one place? Will Duke change its style to take advantage of all this size? There is probably not a more deeply talented roster in the country not to mention the ACC (yes, Hoos fans, even deeper than Virginia!) Duke is a serious threat for another national title and they will probably open the season as the No. 1 team in most polls. So why are they only #2 here? In the words of Yoda, “there is another.”
Top returning players: Grayson Allen, 21.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 41.7 % 3-pt FG.; Luke Kennard, 11.8 ppg, 3.6 apg; Amile Jefferson, 11.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg; Matt Jones, 10.4 ppg, 2.3 apg, 41.5 % 3-pt FG; Chase Jeter, 1.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg.
Newcomers of significance: Harry Giles, PF; Jayson Tatum, SF; Frank Jackson, PG; Marques Bolden, C; Javin DeLaurier, PF; Jack White, 6’5” F (from Australia.)
#1 (or #1a)
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (last year’s finish: 1st)
OK, OK, I’m sure this pick will rile more than a few of you, especially if you’re like me- a lifetime ABC’er. On top of that, this team is coached by a cartoon dog that seems to get less out of his talent than most coaches at a top program.
And of course, we all believe that Coach Huckleberry Hound Dog knew nothing about his players not going to class or writing their own papers. UNC will likely escape any meaningful sanctions for men’s basketball because the academic side of the school took the fall for the athletic side.
But in making this pick, I couldn’t ignore these simple facts: (1) UNC returns 6 of its top 8 scorers and rotation guys that last year a) won the regular season ACC title, b) won the ACC tournament championship, and c) went all the way to the national championship game which they led inside of 5 seconds until losing on a last second shot; (2) although they lost 2 players who were drafted in the NBA draft, they get additional help from 3 incoming freshmen who are all consensus top-55 recruits; and (3) the aforementioned returning 6 are all upperclassmen who were either burger boys or highly rated themselves and have a wealth of experience.
The biggest criticism I’ve always had about Coach Huckleberry is that he rarely holds his players accountable for not playing defense.
To see photos that would have gone here and elsewhere, Google "Look alike pictures Roy Williams Huckleberry Hound Dog."
Defense? Defense? We don’t play no stinkin’ defense!
But this team has gradually improved defensively over the past couple of seasons and these returning players seem to understand that D is a necessity for success.
The best of the returnees is junior point guard Joel Berry who, in my opinion, was UNC’s best player down the stretch last year. Berry really became a leader and will be a preseason candidate for ACC player of the year and 1st team all-ACC. He is one of 2 double figure scorers returning, the other being wing Justin Jackson, who withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will return to join his junior classmate. Beef and experience return upfront with seniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks ready to pad their resumes for a possible chance at playing beyond college. Wing Theo Pinson became one of the Tar Holes best defenders and will be pushing for more playing time now that he is fully healthy. Point guard Nate Britt would be a star for most college programs, but the senior’s contributions often get lost in this star-studded lineup.
The best of the newcomers should be 6’10”, 235 lb. center Tony Bradley. He can run the floor and has a nice offensive touch and should help defray the loss of Brice Johnson. Two guard recruits will fight for playing time: Seventh Woods and Brandon Robinson. Woods is highly athletic and fits well into the Tar Heels running style. Whether these two are able to get on the floor will be influenced by any off-season development from Richmond, VA native Kenny Williams and his sweet shooting stroke.
The bottom line is that the Heels are deep, talented, and experienced. It’s that experience that leads me to pick UNC to defend their title and edge out their highly talented rivals across the way in Durham.
Top returning players: Joel Berry, 12,8 ppg, 3.8 apg; Justin Jackson, 12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg; Kennedy Meeks, 9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg; Isaiah Hicks, 8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg; Nate Britt, 5.4 ppg, 1.7 apg; Theo Pinson, 4.5 ppg, 2.9 apg;
Newcomers of significance: Tony Bradley, C; Seventh Woods, G; Brandon Robinson, G.
The Elite
3RD PLACE
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (last year’s finish: tied for 2nd)
I probably don’t need to go into depth about UVA’s team with this audience, so, I won’t. The Hoos have now reached the current status of a nationally elite team. Evidence of that? Other than Miami, no one in the ACC loses more talent than UVA via graduation, yet the preseason early polls put out by the likes of ESPN, CBS, and others all have UVA as a preseason top 10 team next year. A huge reason for that is obviously Tony Bennett. The national media has caught on that if Bennett is the coach, his team will have one of the best defenses in the country, his players will generally improve each year, and his teams will compete with any team in the country. They are also aware of the new top-level talent headed to Charlottesville and that Bennett has a great eye for talent that will excel in his system. Yes, the Hoos now don’t rebuild, they just reload!
Rumor has it that the sale of “Depends” are at an all-time high in the Charlottesville area as hoop fans are peeing their pants from excitement and anticipation of the talent arriving on the hardwood in 2016-7. Yet, this is a team that also has a wealth of experience at the college level. Three starters return, led by 4th year point guard London Perrantes. Devon Hall has been at UVA for 4 seasons as well, but redshirted one of those and is a returning starter on the wing. 3rd year PF Isaiah Wilkins most likely will start again. They’ll be joined by 2015 AAC first team all conference big man Austin Nichols, who was 3rd nationally that year in blocked shots at 3.4 per game to go along with his team-high 13.3 points per game as a sophomore. Nichols red-shirted last year. RS Jr. Darius Thompson, Jr. Marial Shayok, and RS center Jack Salt give the Cavs 7 players that have been in college at least 3 years (so, academically anyway, they are all upper classmen.)
Then there are the newcomers: all 6 (if you include Nichols) of which were consensus top-100 talents in high school. Last season, UVA was probably one of the deeper teams in the country talent-wise. This year, they could be even deeper in talent! UVA will once again be a threat to win it all, but with all the newcomers, it will take a little time for the team to gel. A huge assist will come from a summer trip to Spain that will give the team 10 extra practices and off-court time together to develop some chemistry.
So, without further ado, here’s the UVA roster for 2016-7. I could see Bennett easily playing a rotation of 9 to10 players, even in the likelihood that Jay Huff redshirts. And it may not be the same 9 or 10 each game – it could vary depending upon the matchups.
Roster: Seniors: London Perrantes, 6’2” PG; Juniors: Austin Nichols, 6’9” PF/C; Isaiah Wilkins, 6’7” PF, Devon Hall, 6’5” G; Darius Thompson, 6’5” G, Marial Shayok, 6’6” G; Sophomores: Jared Reuter, 6’7” PF; Jack Salt, 6’11” C; Freshmen: Mamadi Diakite, 6’9” PF (redshirt); DeAndre Hunter, 6’7” SF/PF; Jay Huff, 6’11” PF; Ty Jerome, 6’5” PG; Kyle Guy, 6’2” SG.
2nd Place (or really, 1b)
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (last year’s finish: tied for 5th)
Talent, talent, talent, talent, talent. Holy ratpoop, Ratman! Thinking back on all the national championship teams that Coach Mike Kryspdvsltzewslkdfsdjflasjfski has had, I’m not sure that he’s had a team deeper in talent than he will have this season. But it’s not only the depth in talent that makes this Puke team different, but also the type of talent. Coach K’s teams typically are loaded with quick wing players able to play his ball-denial defense, but short on big men, with a couple of power forwards manning the inside. It’s obvious that Coach K has been paying attention to the national landscape and this year’s Blue Devil team appears to be a carbon copy of the type of roster that John Calipari has been putting together at Kentucky. No wonder the two got into a very public recruiting spat earlier this spring – they’re going head-to-head now for most of the same talent in order to compose similar rosters.
Duke’s 2016-7 team will be loaded with big men. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Coach K puts together this team, especially defensively. This doesn’t appear to be a roster that will excel at K’s ball-denial defense. But then, defense has been Duke’s weakness in the past few years, so maybe K is evolving and will try something very different this season.
The returning talent alone would put Duke in the top half of the conference. The Blue Devils return 4 of their top 5 scorers (if you count the 9 games played by Amile Jefferson who eventually redshirted due to injury and will return for a 5th season.) Leading the way is returning top scorer and all-around bad boy, junior Grayson Tripntravel Allen, and his 21.6 ppg. Two other double-figure scoring guards return as well, senior Matt Jones (10.4 ppg) and sophomore Luke Kennard (11.8 ppg). Jefferson was averaging 11.4 ppg and 10.3 rebounds until he was shut down permanently. One might think that these would be 4 of your starters, but a look at Duke’s recruiting class would indicate otherwise. Let’s start with 3 players who were consensus top-15 picks by recruiting services: Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden give the Devils 3 towering, talented figures to add to the front line. If Giles is fully healed from his ACL injury, the 6’10”, 220 pounder is a sure starter. Tatum, at 6’8”, is a small forward! Bolden brings strength and skill upfront at 6’11”, 245 lbs. These players might make you forget that the Devils roster also includes last season’s freshman Chase Jeter, who at 6’10”, 240 lbs., was a consensus top-20 player himself. Also lost in the shuffle is another consensus top-40 big man from St. Anne’s – Belfield school in Charlottesville, VA – Javin DeLaurier, who brings hustle and beef with his 6’9”, 220 lbs. frame(Duke’s roster lists him now at 6’10”!) That’s 6 highly-rated frontline players 6’8” or taller. Where will the Devils find time to play Rice transfer, 6’9” , 250 lbs.Sean Obi or 7’0”, 270 lbs. Antonio Vrankovic?
If K’s boys have any weakness, one might look to the point where, once again, they will have only one true point guard on the roster, and that player is a true freshman. But that true freshman is a good one in 6’3” Frank Jackson, an aggressive top-15 guard from Utah. If he’s not on the court, then Matt Jones and Grayson Allen will have to share backup duties at the point. The odd man out of the starting rotation might be Luke Kennard if he doesn’t learn to play better defense. And remember, Tatum will likely often play the 3, so that’s 5 really, really good players for that 3-guard rotation.
Coach Krynkegknrvnzrppnqnski is used to playing an 8-man rotation, so it will be interesting to see if he expands that rotation in order to try and keep all these top players happy. Can K find solid chemistry with all these stars in one place? Will Duke change its style to take advantage of all this size? There is probably not a more deeply talented roster in the country not to mention the ACC (yes, Hoos fans, even deeper than Virginia!) Duke is a serious threat for another national title and they will probably open the season as the No. 1 team in most polls. So why are they only #2 here? In the words of Yoda, “there is another.”
Top returning players: Grayson Allen, 21.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 41.7 % 3-pt FG.; Luke Kennard, 11.8 ppg, 3.6 apg; Amile Jefferson, 11.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg; Matt Jones, 10.4 ppg, 2.3 apg, 41.5 % 3-pt FG; Chase Jeter, 1.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg.
Newcomers of significance: Harry Giles, PF; Jayson Tatum, SF; Frank Jackson, PG; Marques Bolden, C; Javin DeLaurier, PF; Jack White, 6’5” F (from Australia.)
#1 (or #1a)
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (last year’s finish: 1st)
OK, OK, I’m sure this pick will rile more than a few of you, especially if you’re like me- a lifetime ABC’er. On top of that, this team is coached by a cartoon dog that seems to get less out of his talent than most coaches at a top program.
And of course, we all believe that Coach Huckleberry Hound Dog knew nothing about his players not going to class or writing their own papers. UNC will likely escape any meaningful sanctions for men’s basketball because the academic side of the school took the fall for the athletic side.
But in making this pick, I couldn’t ignore these simple facts: (1) UNC returns 6 of its top 8 scorers and rotation guys that last year a) won the regular season ACC title, b) won the ACC tournament championship, and c) went all the way to the national championship game which they led inside of 5 seconds until losing on a last second shot; (2) although they lost 2 players who were drafted in the NBA draft, they get additional help from 3 incoming freshmen who are all consensus top-55 recruits; and (3) the aforementioned returning 6 are all upperclassmen who were either burger boys or highly rated themselves and have a wealth of experience.
The biggest criticism I’ve always had about Coach Huckleberry is that he rarely holds his players accountable for not playing defense.
To see photos that would have gone here and elsewhere, Google "Look alike pictures Roy Williams Huckleberry Hound Dog."
But this team has gradually improved defensively over the past couple of seasons and these returning players seem to understand that D is a necessity for success.
The best of the returnees is junior point guard Joel Berry who, in my opinion, was UNC’s best player down the stretch last year. Berry really became a leader and will be a preseason candidate for ACC player of the year and 1st team all-ACC. He is one of 2 double figure scorers returning, the other being wing Justin Jackson, who withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will return to join his junior classmate. Beef and experience return upfront with seniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks ready to pad their resumes for a possible chance at playing beyond college. Wing Theo Pinson became one of the Tar Holes best defenders and will be pushing for more playing time now that he is fully healthy. Point guard Nate Britt would be a star for most college programs, but the senior’s contributions often get lost in this star-studded lineup.
The best of the newcomers should be 6’10”, 235 lb. center Tony Bradley. He can run the floor and has a nice offensive touch and should help defray the loss of Brice Johnson. Two guard recruits will fight for playing time: Seventh Woods and Brandon Robinson. Woods is highly athletic and fits well into the Tar Heels running style. Whether these two are able to get on the floor will be influenced by any off-season development from Richmond, VA native Kenny Williams and his sweet shooting stroke.
The bottom line is that the Heels are deep, talented, and experienced. It’s that experience that leads me to pick UNC to defend their title and edge out their highly talented rivals across the way in Durham.
Top returning players: Joel Berry, 12,8 ppg, 3.8 apg; Justin Jackson, 12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg; Kennedy Meeks, 9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg; Isaiah Hicks, 8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg; Nate Britt, 5.4 ppg, 1.7 apg; Theo Pinson, 4.5 ppg, 2.9 apg;
Newcomers of significance: Tony Bradley, C; Seventh Woods, G; Brandon Robinson, G.
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