The college basketball season starts in November. It’s only a little more than five full weeks away from beginning. Which teams have really good situations in terms of bringing back very skilled players who don’t have to start from scratch, but can instead flow right into a practice schedule and possibly teach younger players on the roster a trick or two? This is a component which North Carolina, a seasoned veteran team, put to good use last season. The Tar Heels brought almost everybody back. This meant that a number of players were not ready for the NBA Draft, but it also meant that North Carolina would have a very cohesive unit on the floor, something the Tar Heels took advantage of as last season moved along. What about this season, then?
Wisconsin Badgers
The Bagders are ridiculously loaded. Ethan Happ, Nigel Hayes, and Bronson Koenig were top-level players last season, and they all return. Hayes led the team with 15.7 points per game while Koenig was second at 13.1 and Happ was third at 12.4.
Hayes was expected by some to go in the NBA Draft, but he stayed for one more year. Vitto Brown is back as a complementary player as well. These are guys who aren’t just talented; they’re also experienced. Hayes and Koenig played in the national championship game two seasons ago against Duke. They will give Wisconsin a very cohesive lineup which will be strong at both ends of the court.
Saint Mary’s Gaels
The five starters who were with last year’s college basketball team the whole way are back again. The Gaels put out five players – some of them from their Australian recruiting pipeline – who started all 35 games. Every one of those players returns to give Saint Mary’s continuity, an integrated nature, and most of all, polished talent which has had a year to ripen into its fullness. Dane Pineau, Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon are the foremost members of this group, which should make Saint Mary’s able to take the extra step it failed to take last year on the road to the NCAA Tournament. Purely as a percentage of “total points, minutes and rebounds returning from last season,” Saint Mary’s stands at the head of the class.
Monmouth Hawks
The Hawks return Justin Robinson to anchor this college basketball team. Robinson was one of the most prolific scorers in the country a season ago, and there’s no reason for that to change in the 2017 season. Monmouth has an infectious energy, which is positive, but without Robinson to anchor the show and be a dependable presence on defense, the Hawks probably wouldn’t fly very fast or very far. It’s a necessity to have a player such as Robinson. Now, can the Monmouth supporting cast pick him up and put him in a very good position to succeed? There’s a good chance that it will happen.
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats might have lost a few veteran performers from their national championship team, but there is a lot of talent coming back. Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Phil Booth all have the combination-based ability to drive to the basket and shoot jump shots. They all possess above-average quickness, albeit to varying degrees. Brunson might be the most explosive player. Hart is longer and can play over the top of smaller defenders. Booth can score in bunches, but all of them are very potent.
In terms of the cold hard numbers, Hard led the team in scoring last year with 15.5 points per game, so obviously having him back will give the offense a big boost. As for Brunson, he averaged 9.6 points per game while making 38.3% of his three-pointers. He’ll be a key asset on the perimeter. And Booth averaged just 7.0 points per game last season but also chipped in 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Villanova also has Kris Jenkins, who hit the 28-footer to win the title against North Carolina. Jenkins was the team’s second-leading scorer from last year at 13.6 points per game. There’s a lot on this roster that’s coming back and that’s what is going to make Villanova such a dangerous college basketball team once again.
