This has been a refreshingly good season of college basketball. Just like college football, college basketball has gone through some serious turmoil the past few seasons. The issues with NIL and the transfer portal have been beaten to death. I will not focus on those issues in this article, rather I focus on all things positive. Go team positivity!
Many factors have contributed to this fun season. From a phenomenal freshmen class, to teams actually having some continuity because of returning players. I for one, cannot wait for this season’s tournament.
There are about eight to ten teams who have a real chance of winning the national title this season. Unlike in seasons past, this champion will not be a champion by default. We actually have eight to ten teams that are good enough to win the title.
Despite todays rankings, Michigan is still the most talented team in the field. They have the right combination and experience to win the tournament. They also have the token ginormous white guy, who has zero pro potential, but can dominate college basketball cause of his size, in Aday Mara. This kid is so annoying. I love rooting against him.
Duke currently holds the number one ranking, but they rely on too many underclassmen for me to take them seriously as a title contender.
Michigan and Duke actually played a few weeks ago. A game in which the winner would lock down the number one ranking. Duke did prevail, but Michigan missed so many wide open three pointers. I have a hard time believing that if these two teams met again, Michigan would not play significantly better. Despite playing so poorly, Michigan only lost by five points. That is a true testament to how good that team really is.
Another team that simply needs to be mentioned when you are mentioning the best teams in college basketball, is the Arizona Wildcats.
Hand up, I have not watched too many of the Wildcat’s games this season. I have seen a lot of highlights and read a buttload about their team. What makes them so scary is their length. Their team is freaking huge. The average height of their team is over six foot nine.
One other thing that has stood out to me, they are a surprisingly young team. A majority of their key players are freshmen or sophomores. There is a major difference between a twenty-three-year-old, and a nineteen-year-old. I have a feeling this team is going to encounter a physically more mature team in the tournament and falter.
A major positive of the NIL is that players who in years past would have left college, to be a second-round draft pick, or go play professionally overseas, are staying in school. Sure, the high first round picks are going to leave after one year, bye bye Aj Dybansa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson, but teams are able to keep pro level talent on their teams for more than one year.
No team is a better example of this than the defending champion, Florida Gators. Ten years ago, every player on their team would have left for the draft, or to go play in the G league. Now, thanks to the NIL and the ability to pay the players, key players from last year’s title team are still on the squad. They are able to respectfully defend their title. Their team is not quite as good as their team last season, but it would not be the most shocking thing in the world if they can pull off the repeat.
All in all, this season has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for college athletics. Right now, my pick to win the title is going to remain the Michigan Wolverines. I reserve the right to change my pick at the very beginning of the tournament. It will take a lot of sucky play between then and now for me to change my mind.
A bientot!
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