With college basketball tipping off in the US later this month, regular ODT Online sports contributor Jeff Cheshire offers a few preview thoughts.
Picking the four No. 1 seeds for March Madness
West: Arizona.
No surprises here, Arizona are the clear-cut favourite to top the West bracket in this year's March Madness tournament. They come off an outstanding season last year, in which they were the best team in the nation until February and may have maintained that No. 1 ranking had Brandon Ashley not gone down injured. Losing athletic freshman Aaron Gordon and First-team All-American guard Nick Johnson will hurt them. But they have a solid core of returning players, with Ashley being joined by seven-footer Kaleb Tarcewski, guards TJ McConnell and Gabe York, as well as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Joining this group is strong freshman small forward Stanley Johnson, the No. 7 overall recruit of his class and the No. 1 small forward. Expect them to be tenacious defensively and tough to contain on offence with so many options.
Midwest: Wisconsin.
Wisconsin may not have the deepest front court - that honour goes to Kentucky - but they probably do have the most talented duo there. After falling to at the buzzer to Kentucky in last season's Final Four, Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky made the decision to return to school, instantly making Wisconsin contenders once again. In those two, the Badgers have arguably two of the top ten players in the nation. Kaminsky is a skilful seven-footer, capable of shooting the ball from range and finishing around the rim, while Dekker runs the lanes well and cuts intelligently to threaten off the ball. Along with these two, Wisconsin return two starters from last year, notably senior point guard Traevon Jackson, as well as the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. Typically they are a well-drilled team who pass the ball well and take good and efficient options.
East: Duke.
In two of the past three NCAA Tournament's, Duke have had a tough time of it, having been stunned in their first games by No. 14 and 15 seeds. That really is something. But there is a reason why many are predicting a resurgence from the Blue Devils this year, boasting arguably their best roster since 2011. They have a tough road to the top in a competitive conference, but they will enter as favourites to win the ACC and you would have to think the winner of that will be a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. In Jahill Okafor and Tyus Jones they have the No. 1 and 4 ranked recruits in the nation, as well as the No. 15 recruit Justice Winslow, while also boasting quality returning players led by guards Quinn Cook and swingman Rasheed Sulaimon. It can be hard to know what to make of freshmen sometimes, but the group Duke have recruited seem to be pretty good and they will be surrounded by a quality supporting class. Expect them to be there or thereabouts come Final Four time.
South: Kentucky.
Last year all the pressure was on Kentucky's phenomenal freshman class. This year is no different, with the exception that the majority have returned as sophomore's and far better players. Julius Randle and James Young have both left for the NBA, but they have retained the majority of last year's team. Their front court is intimidating to say the least. It is led by junior seven-footer Willie Cauley-Stein, a tough interior defensive player who will block and alter shots. Alongside him, fellow seven-footer Dakari Johnson brings even more size and will allow them to form the biggest duo in the country. They also boast the athleticism and hustle of Marcus Lee, the solid and strong Alex Poythress, as well as two outstanding recruits in Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. and Trey Lyles.
Those are six players who would most likely start for any other team, that has got to be tough to play against. In the backcourt they will pair sophomore twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, both of whom were amongst the biggest improvers last year, maturing as the season went on, with Dominique Hawkins their key back-up. Expect them to be good. They have talent, size, athleticism and now some experience - which is what was lacking last year.
Preseason All-Americans
Marcus Paige (North Carolina): The North Carolina point guard has been something of a consensus pick in the pre-season All-American team's thus far for this year, so it should be no surprise to see him here. An outstanding shooter, Paige has a quick release and creates his own shots, pulling up well off screens as well as possessing a handy floater and a good catch and shoot game. While not an elite athlete, he will never lack for effort and he brings intensity on the defensive end, which somewhat makes up for a lack of explosiveness. Other point guards to watch for include Wayne Seldon, Fred VanVleet, Andrew Harrison, Kevin Pangos and Ryan Boatright.
Tyler Haws (BYU): It is hard not to draw comparisons to Jimmer Fredette when thinking of Tyler Haws. Over the past two years he has scored at will, going at over 20 points per game in both his sophomore and junior years, in much the same way Fredette did at BYU. He will knock shots down from mid-range and beyond the three-point with tremendous accuracy, although does have a tendency to rely on being set up for these. Still you have to finish and Haws does this as well as anyone in the college game. Do not sleep on him just because he is a mid-major star. He could very well be the leading scorer in the nation. Also keep an eye out for Ron Baker and Caris LeVert.
Terran Petteway (Nebraska): Nebraska are not typically a college basketball powerhouse. They suddenly became relevant last year though and a large part of that was because of transfer swingman Terran Petteway. Entering his junior year, expect Petteway to be even better this season. He brings the defensive intensity needed to play in the Big Ten, while also possessing the ability to create his own shot, getting to the hoop well and having a useful jump shot.
Montrezl Harrell (Louisville): Another obvious pick, Montrezl Harrell was probably the most surprising of all the college returnees this year, looking set to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. But the NBA's loss is the NCAA's gain, or at least Louisville's gain. Harrell is a beast. He stands at 6' 8", weighs in at 107 kilograms of pure muscle and has an unreal wingspan of 7' 4". They are impressive statistics and he is even more impressive when you see him. He has got some game too.
An athletic player with good explosiveness, he rebounds well , hustles on defence and is developing a better offensive game. He is only a junior as well, although do not expect him to stick around for another year. Other forwards to keep an eye on are Sam Dekker, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Branden Dawson.
Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin): It is rare for a player to come from nowhere to become a household name in this day and age, but Frank Kaminsky did just that last season. The seven-footer was the key man in Wisconsin's run to the Final Four. His range on his jump shot was the first thing to notice, possessing the ability to shoot effectively from beyond the arc. He handles the ball well enough too, for a man of his size anyway. But most of all he is an intelligent player, taking good shots and passing the ball effectively, both typical traits of Wisconsin basketball. Also watch out for freshman Jahill Okafor down low.
Kiwis in action
Tai Webster (Nebraska): Of all the New Zealanders in college basketball this year, Tai Webster looks to be the most exciting prospect. Coming off a solid FIBA World Cup campaign, which saw him start at point guard for the Tall Blacks, Webster will return for his sophomore year having the experience of playing against the world's best. He had a solid, albeit quiet, freshman year, playing well within himself and facilitating for the likes of Petteway. Expect him to take on more responsibility this year, although with the majority of last year's team returning he may be better to keep on doing what he is doing. The Huskers enter the season ranked No. 21 in the nation and should feature come March.
Jack Salt (Virginia): It is a huge boost for New Zealand basketball to have a player recruited by a school such as Virginia, the defending ACC Champions and top ten ranked team for the upcoming season. Jack Salt will have a tough task to see much playing time, but that is inevitable when you go to a highly ranked team. A product of Westlake Boys' High School, Salt is an aggressive big man who has played both for the Breakers and the Tall Blacks. He has played in the NBL over the past two years as well, proving a handy player against older and more physically developed opponents. Certainly one to watch, although perhaps is still a year or two off seeing regular minutes.
Tom Vodanovich (James Madison): Tom Vodanovich will miss the first two games of the season, after an offseason incident saw him cop a suspension. But the sophomore will be back in action when JMU host Longwood next week and will hopefully remain for the rest of the season. A Wellington product, Vodanovich is a blue-collar player, bringing intensity and hustle in every sense of the words. He goes after rebounds hard and has reasonable jumping ability too, complementing a 6' 8" 220 lb stature. As a freshman he played 21 minutes per game and had a handful of good stat-lines including 11 points, 4 rebounds against Virginia and 15 points, 8 rebounds against San Jose State. He should play more of a role as a sophomore once he returns to the team.
Other Kiwis: Michael Karena (Wright State), Zach Young (Nicholls State, Angus Riley (Bryant), Luke Aston (BYU-Hawaii - Division II).
