March Madness Predictions Updated: What the Transfer of Mark Lyons and Commitment of Anthony Bennett Mean for the Preseason Top 25
The college hoops scene continues to evolve and shape before our eyes, as transfers come in and more high school recruits commit to colleges. Luckily, our resident college hoops expert, Tejas Kannan is back with a new edition of the March Madness power ranking, listing the top 25 teams in D1 Basketball as of right now. If you didn’t read his initial rankings, you can see them here. Click the jump for more.
Mark Lyons celebrates after hitting a three.
After losing former 5-star recruit, and Findlay Prep alumni (Can you still call yourself an alumni of Findlay Prep even though it doesn’t have an academic program?) Josiah Turner,via transfer to Larry Brown’s SMU Mustangs, Arizona needed a true point guard. The Wildcats compiled the #3 recruiting class in the country, featuring PF Brandon Ashley (another Findlay Prep “grad”) and SG Gabe York, neither of which play point guard. Even more crippling was the fact that Turner was on the brink of major success on the collegiate level before leaving a huge void in the Wildcats roster.
Enter former Xavier PG Mark Lyons. Just recently, Lyons (16 ppg on Xavier last season) announced that he was transferring to Arizona to be reunited with former coach Sean Miller. Since he is graduating from Xavier this spring, he will be eligible to play immediately next fall. Remember that Xavier was a top 10 team last season and only fell apart after Lyons was suspended. He also led his team to the Sweet 16, as well as victories over Cincinnati and Vanderbilt. Lyons is a better scorer, a better leader and also much more experienced than Turner was, making him the perfect fit for the Wildcats. Lyons will add a little more juice to the Wildcats offense than Turner did. With Lyons, Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley, Arizona is shaping up to be a top 10 team and a real threat to UCLA in the Pac-12.
Arizona coach Sean Miller is ready for another successful season.
UNLV is a team that won 26 games last year and even beat the then #1 UNC Tar Heels early in the season. They ended up faltering late in the season, showing a lack of consistency and eventually losing to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In an effort to retool, UNLV hauled in a decent recruiting class this off-season. Decent, that is, until Findlay Prep grad (Does everyone play basketball there?) Anthony Bennett decided to attend UNLV, automatically giving UNLV one of the better recruiting classes in the country. Bennett, who will likely play PF, is teamed up with Pitt transfer Khem Birch and Carlos Lopez, creating the scariest front court in the Mountain West, and maybe in the whole West Coast. Bennett is a versatile forward who will spark the offense, as he is able to get to the rim as well as drain 3s. Bennett’s commitment will also push Mike Moser (14 ppg and 10.4 rpg) from PF to SF, where he is much more comfortable playing. Anthony Marshall and USC transfer Bryce Jones round out the talented, but unproven, backcourt of the Runnin’ Rebels. This team is extremely talented and if rumors are true, UCONN’s Roscoe Smith will be joining this potent squad. The Rebels should run away with the Mountain West and probably obtain a high seed come March.
Talented recruit Anthony Bennett looks to change the fortunes of UNLV and help them win the Mountain West.
1. Indiana – Too much talent returning
2. Louisville – See Indiana for details
3. Kentucky – Uncertainty about Nerlens Noel (under NCAA investigation) makes me nervous, but they are still extremely talented.
4. Kansas – With Elijah Johnson and Jeff Withey, they are still the class of the Big-12.
5. Michigan – Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Big Blue crowd will be tough to stop.
6. UCLA – With the commitment of Tony Parker, the Bruins just keep looking better and better.
7. NC State – CJ Leslie is a monster; could they win the ACC?
8. Ohio State – Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft and the Buckeyes should do just fine without Jared Sullinger.
9. Arizona – The addition of Mark Lyons leapfrogs the Wildcats into the top 10. They have the talent to win the Pac-12.
10. UNLV – Anthony Bennett makes the Rebels a top 10 team and much better than last season.
11. UNC- Can James Michael-Macadoo live up to expectations? (Side note: If he left, he was projected to be the 1st UNC player drafted according the Chad Ford, above Barnes and Henson.)
12. Syracuse- The Orange lose Fab Melo, Dion Waiters, and Scoop Jardine, but still are loaded on talent.
13. SDSU – They return four guards from an NCAA tournament team
14. Michigan State – Keith Appling, Derrick Nix and Brandon Dawson will be joined by the number 8 recruiting class. The strength of the Big 10 will make things tough on Tom Izzo’s squad.
15. Baylor – The loss of Quincy Miller, Perry Jones III and Quincy Acy really hurt, but 7 foot freshman Isaiah Austin will join star guard Pierre Jackson. If they want to compete for the league title, they have to be more consistent.
16. Duke – The commitment of Amile Jefferson greatly improves a team that is losing their leading scorer in Austin Rivers.
17. Missouri – The Tigers are returning the Pressy brothers as well as Michael Dixon in the backcourt. The addition of UCONN transfer Alex Oriaki should solidify the frontcourt.
18. Gonzaga – The Zags return their 2 leading scorers PG Kevin Pangos and F Elias Harris.
19. Texas – The return of Myck Kabango really gives the Longhorns a big boost
20. Creighton – The Blue Jays return F Doug McDermott (22.9 ppg), who should be one of the best players in the country next year.
21. Florida – The loss of Bradley Beal hurts, but leading scorer Kenny Boynton returns. If the Gators want to contend, F Patric Young must be more consistent on the offensive end.
22. Kansas State – Rodney McGruder is one of the premier players in the Big 12 and Bruce Weber’s first season should be a good one.
23. Wisconsin – The Badgers lose star PG Jordan Taylor, but there is a good amount of talent returning, as well as 5 star recruit SF Sam Dekker.
24. VCU – The move to the Atlantic 10 should make things harder, but Coach Shaka Smart and the VCU Rams have proved doubters wrong too many times. (See Final Four, 2010)
25. Tennessee – Cuso Martin will have the Volunteers playing next season. Jarnell Stokes will be much improved and this team could bust some brackets come March.
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