College Hoops 2018-19: The Contenders
College basketball is about to be back in full force. Teams have had their fall practices, enjoyed a few scrimmage and exhibition games, and are now looking forward to the contests that matter. And with the first month or so of the season always presenting some exciting tournaments and showcases involving the best teams in the country, national audiences will see some potential Final Four contenders early on.
As fans of the sport know, anything can happen in college basketball, and sometimes it’s a team that’s relatively under the radar that winds up getting red hot and cutting down the nets in March. From a preseason perspective though, these are the possible contenders to keep your eye on.
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas is always in the mix, and is coming in at the top of just about every preseason ranking this season. The Jayhawks will make for an interesting chemistry experiment. They lost arguably their two most important players from 2017-18’s Final Four team in Devonte’ Graham and Malik Newman, but return key wing player Lagerald Vick and big man Udoka Azubuike, who may be the best post player in the Big 12. Kansas will also bring in three key transfers and a pair of ultra-talented freshman guards in Quentin Grimes and Devon Dotson. Mixing freshmen, transfers, and veterans can go a lot of different directions, but the talent is all there.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada was a sort of surprise fringe contender in 2017-18 and made a run to the Sweet 16 before falling to red-hot Loyola-Chicago, which ultimately made the Final Four. Nevada returns its top three players in former transfers Caleb and Cody Martin and Jordan Caroline, making for one of the strongest veteran cores in the nation. And 6’10’’ forward Jordan Brown, an incoming freshman, will add some youthful talent. The Wolf Pack aren’t a traditional contender but expect to see them in the conversation all year long.
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky is more of a traditional contender and looks to be loaded in 2018-19. A few players who were presumptive one-and-dones last season wound up coming back – most notably Quade Green and PJ Washington – and as usual, head coach John Calipari will bring in some talented freshmen. But the player who really pushed Kentucky back into the Final Four discussion was Reid Travis, an excellent big man who’s transferring from Stanford for his final year of NCAA eligibility.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke will be a fascinating team because it’s going to start four freshmen – three of whom could legitimately be the top three picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, and one of whom is the younger brother of 2015 national champion point guard Tyus Jones. The obvious knock on the Blue Devils will be that so much youth can’t contend down the stretch. But that’s where a Hall of Fame coach with experience with this exact challenge comes in handy. Even a preseason guide aimed at assisting bettors with their decisions pointed out that coaches impact college basketball maybe more than any other sport. So, with Mike Krzyzewski at the helm and this much talent on the floor, youth may not matter.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga has a ton of experience being a national contender at this point, so while it’s not typically mentioned among the NCAA’s “blue-bloods,” it is something of a fixture in conversations like these. This season, coach Mark Few will likely trot out the best frontcourt in the nation in Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura, and the two of them have some valuable experience. Josh Perkins is a nice candidate to be one of the country’s most improved players simply because he’ll have more responsibility running the show, and the Zags are likely to find themselves right back in the 1- or 2-seed conversation.
Virginia Cavaliers
We’re still just about seven months removed from Virginia suffering the worst upset in NCAA history. Becoming the first 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed in the NCAA Tournament – and falling to UMBC by 20 points – was so bad people are still talking about the long-term ramifications. It was a true disaster, and the kind of problem that leads people to question not just one team, but an entire program’s viability as a tournament contender. Be that as it may, the Cavaliers are arguably returning their top three players in Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and De’Andre Hunter. Virginia is being counted out by a fair few analysts and fans, but you’d ignore them at your own peril.