UNC Basketball: Carolina suffers first loss at the hands of Michigan, looks to salvage 3rd place against Oregon

Michigan 73-UNC 64

Carolina got off to a hot start, shooting the lights out early to jump out to a 13-4 lead with the starters on the floor.  It was all downhill from there.

Michigan came back immediately once UNC put a few subs in the game, outscoring the Tar Heels 25-14 over the last 10 minutes of the first half to take a 39-34 lead to the break.


The Wolverines came out of the locker room on fire, outscoring the Tar Heels 21-2 to start the second half and essentially put the game away with eleven minutes to go.  Michigan used great team-work and ball- movement to blow the game open, and just like in UNC’s loss to Michigan last season, Roy Williams waited a few minutes too long to call timeout to stop the run. 


Carolina was clearly rattled and Michigan was scoring at will, but the Hall of Fame coach chose to stand back and watch as his team played themselves out of the game.  It may not have mattered much even if he had called a timeout earlier, but at 60-36 the game was basically over.


To their credit the Heels never stopped fighting.  Cole Anthony ramped up the aggression, leading a big run that got his team back to within eight with three minutes to go.  Anthony finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and showed the kind of competitive will that’s going to lead him to a successful NBA career.  


Garrison Brooks chipped in with 13 points and 8 rebounds, but UNC didn’t get enough from the rest of the supporting cast to have a chance in this one.


Michigan was led by Eli Brooks, who finished with 24 points on 9-14 shooting and scored in a variety of ways from nearly every spot on the floor.  Senior leader Xavier Simpson spent the second half in foul trouble and fouled out with five minutes to play, but David DeJulius filled in admirably at the point and helped the Wolverines hold off the Heels down the stretch.


Michigan will go on to face Gonzaga tomorrow in the championship game, while Carolina will face Oregon for 3^rd place.





Game 6: Oregon




Oregon lost a heartbreaker to Gonzaga in the semifinals, falling a point short in overtime after erasing an early 17-point first half deficit.  The Ducks fell behind by 19 in the second half a night earlier against Seton Hall before storming back to win by two, so clearly no lead is safe against this Oregon team.


After failing to dominate inside for the first time all season against Michigan, Carolina should once again have a substantial advantage down low against Oregon.  Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks will have a big size and strength edge in the post, and the Tar Heels should look to feed them early and often.


This game will feature the 3^rd straight big-time point guard matchup for Cole Anthony.  


Peyton Pritchard is one of the toughest, most experienced and competitive point guards in the country.  He’s a great ball-handler who attacks the rim and finishes well around the basket.  He has the ability to create his own shot, and he’s a very good shooter with incredibly deep range.  He wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line, and more often than not he’s gonna make a play to get the win.  


Pritchard is a relentless fighter who will keep coming at you.  He creates for himself and his teammates, and stopping him is essentially cutting off the head of the snake.  If Cole Anthony can win this matchup, Carolina should win the game.


Chris Duarte might be Oregon’s best NBA prospect.  He’s extremely long and athletic with a well-rounded skill-set, and Leaky Black should be the guy tasked with slowing him down. 


Duarte is a phenomenal defender who does all the dirty work.  He’s capable of grabbing a rebound and taking it coast-to-coast, and he finishes very well around the rim.  He’s able to create his own shot, and he’s good driving to the basket or pulling up for jump-shots.  He has three-point range, so he can really do a little bit of everything offensively.


Outside of Pritchard and Duarte, Oregon doesn’t have a whole lot of good ball-handlers or shot-creators.  Will Richardson is a decent driver and finishes well around the basket.  Anthony Mathis and Addison Patterson are good spot-up shooters, while Oregon’s best interior threats C.J. Walker and Shakur Juiston can rebound and hit threes as well.


C.J. Walker is another guy who could end up in the NBA one day.  He’s a phenomenal athlete who rebounds well and defends the rim.  He has three-point range and finishes well around the basket, and I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he could become.  Oregon will likely need a big game from either Walker or Juiston to come out on top.


This game will probably be pretty close, and it will be extremely important for the Tar Heels not to give up wide-open three-point looks.  UNC would be smart to stay put on the shooters and let Bacot and Brooks do most of the helping when Oregon drives, forcing the smaller Oregon players to finish at the rim instead of kicking it out for easy three-point opportunities.



One more update to the Top 30 Team and Player Ranking Lists…

2020 Team Rankings		Games Seen	Last
1	Louisville	1	11/5/2019
2	Arizona	1	11/28/2019
3	Michigan	2	11/27/2019
4	Kansas	3	11/27/2019
5	Dayton	4	11/27/2019
6	Gonzaga	2	11/28/2019
7	Tennessee	2	11/16/2019
8	Ohio St.	2	11/13/2019
9	Duke	4	11/26/2019
10	Iowa St.	1	11/27/2019
11	Washington	2	11/16/2019
12	Auburn	2	11/8/2019
13	UNC	4	11/27/2019
14	Baylor	1	11/8/2019
15	Oregon	2	11/28/2019
16	Seton Hall	1.5	11/15/2019
17	Cincinnati	1	11/6/2019
18	Villanova	1.5	11/13/2019
19	Virginia	1	11/6/2019
20	VCU	1.5	11/13/2019
21	LSU	2	11/22/2019
22	West Virginia	2	11/27/2019
23	Georgetown	2	11/21/2019
24	Indiana	0.5
25	Butler	1	11/12/2019
26	Stanford	1	11/25/2019
27	Clemson	2	11/24/2019
28	TCU	2	11/24/2019
29	Maryland	1	11/9/2019
30	Arkansas	0.5

2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	James Wiseman	PF/C	Memphis	7'1"	240	Freshman
2	Obi Toppin	PF	Dayton	6'9"	220	Sophomore
3	Zeke Nnaji	PF	Arizona	6'11"	240	Freshman
4	Isaiah Stewart	PF	Washington	6'9"	250	Freshman
5	Josh Green	SG/SF	Arizona	6'6"	205	Freshman
6	Jaden McDaniels	SG/SF	Washington	6'9"	200	Freshman
7	Harlond Beverly	PG	Miami	6'4"	185	Freshman
8	Cole Anthony	PG	UNC	6'3"	190	Freshman
9	Tyrese Haliburton	PG	Iowa St.	6'5"	175	Sophomore
10	Anthony Edwards	SG	Georgia	6'5"	225	Freshman
11	Tyrese Maxey	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'3"	198	Freshman
12	Jordan Nwora	SF	Louisville	6'7"	225	Junior
13	Precious Achiuwa	SF	Memphis	6'9"	215	Freshman
14	Vernon Carey Jr.	PF/C	Duke	6'11"	260	Freshman
15	Oscar Tshiebwe	PF	West Virginia	6'9"	258	Freshman
16	Kofi Cockburn	PF/C	Illinois	6'10"	290	Freshman
17	Filip Petrusev	SF/PF/C	Gonzaga	6'11"	235	Sophomore
18	Steven Enoch	PF/C	Louisville	6'10"	255	Senior
19	Trayce Jackson-Davis	PF/C	Indiana	6'10"	235	Freshman
20	Joel Ayayi	SG/SF	Gonzaga	6'5"	180	Sophomore
21	Aaron Nesmith	SG/SF	Vanderbilt	6'6"	213	Sophomore
22	Brandon Rachal	SG/SF	Tulsa	6'6"	220	Junior
23	Yves Pons	SF	Tennessee	6'6"	215	Junior
24	Samuell Williamson	SG	Louisville	6'7"	200	Freshman
25	Nico Mannion	PG	Arizona	6'3"	190	Freshman
26	Myles Powell	SG	Seton Hall	6'2"	195	Senior
27	Isaac Okoro	SG	Auburn	6'5"	200	Freshman
28	Landers Nolly II	SG	Virginia Tech	6'7"	230	Freshman
29	Isaiah Livers	PF/SF	Michigan	6'7"	230	Junior
30	Nahziah Carter	SG/SF	Washington	6'6"	205	Junior

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels get by Alabama, move on to face Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis

UNC 76-Alabama 67


Carolina dominated Alabama inside and on the glass, but once again had trouble closing out an outmatched opponent.  Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot owned the paint, leading the Tar Heels to a 60-31 edge in the rebounding department.  Brooks finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Bacot chipped in with 12 points and 15 boards, but still Alabama was able to stay within striking distance the entire way.


UNC’s poor defensive game kept this one close.  Although they played with great effort, this team just isn’t playing very smart defensively.  There’s way too much overhelping when the other team starts to drive, leading to wide open three-point opportunities for the opponent.


John Petty was obviously the best shooter on the team coming in, and somehow Carolina allowed him to knock down seven threes, most of them uncontested.  Time and time again UNC defenders left him to help stop drives, something that was completely unnecessary with Brooks and Bacot defending the rim.  


This has been a common problem with many Carolina teams over the years, and they’ve got to be smarter knowing who to help off of and who to stay glued to.  KYP, know your personnel.


Kira Lewis and Cole Anthony’s point guard battle lived up to the hype, and in the end I think it was a draw.  Both showed why they’re future NBA players, and although they had poor shooting games, they mostly continued to do what they usually do.


Carolina was helped by the return of Brandon Robinson, a player they desperately need.  His size, shooting, and defense was badly missed over the last few games, and the Tar Heels will likely need even more from him in the next one against Michigan.


Leaky Black had one of his best games as well.  He was fantastic defensively, wreaking havoc in the passing lanes and doing a great job on the boards.  He does all the little things for this team, and when he’s attacking offensively like he did in this one he makes UNC a lot better. 


His size, speed, length, vision, and ball handling make him a terror in transition when he’s being aggressive, and he’s shown the ability to finish at the rim and knock down jump-shots.  He’s been a little hesitant and seemingly lacking some confidence early this season, but against Alabama he looked a lot more like the player I’ve expected to see.


Carolina didn’t get much else from its bench.  Andrew Platek made a few nice interior passes, but with all the injuries the Tar Heels just don’t have much depth.  An easy schedule has allowed UNC to survive despite this, but the next game against Michigan could be the one where it catches up with them.



Game 6: Michigan


Michigan comes in unranked, but from my view they’re a clear top-10 team.  They’ve got a senior leader in point guard Xavier Simpson, a go-to-scorer in junior Isaiah Livers, a versatile big man in senior Jon Teske, and a plethora of good shooters and defenders on the perimeter.  They can be vulnerable inside when Teske gets in foul trouble, but this is a complete team without a true weakness.


Xavier Simpson runs the show and sets the tone for this team.  He’s quick and extremely strong, and he gets in the paint at will.  He’s a very good finisher around the rim, and he has tremendous vision to find open teammates.  He also rebounds extremely well for a guy his size and seems to come up with the ones that really matter.


Isaiah Livers has great size and strength and is able to create his own shot.  He’s able to play both inside and out, and he’s looking like a potential first-round NBA draft pick.  


At 7’1” 265 pounds, Jon Teske is a massive presence on the floor.  He’s a good rebounder and rim defender with the ability to score in the post and on the perimeter, and the team definitely isn’t as good when he’s not on the court.  Getting him in foul trouble would give the Tar Heels a much better chance to win this game.


Eli Brooks and David DeJulius provide shooting, ball handling, and defensive help in the backcourt, while Franz Wagner and Adrien Nunez add more sharp-shooting on the perimeter.  

Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns Jr. have chipped in to give Michigan some depth down low, and first-year coach Juwan Howard has this team playing at a high level on both ends of the floor and improving each time they step on the court.


I hope I’m wrong, but I think Michigan gives Carolina its first loss and moves on to the finals to face the winner of Gonzaga and Oregon.  UNC has to once again dominate inside and on the boards and do a much better job defending the three-point line if it hopes to beat the Wolverines, but considering the trouble they’ve had with much inferior teams, I just don’t think the Heels get it done.  


Updated Rankings

2020 Team Rankings		Games Seen	Last
1	Louisville	1	11/5/2019
2	Arizona
3	Michigan	2	11/27/2019
4	Kansas	3	11/27/2019
5	Dayton	4	11/27/2019
6	Gonzaga	1	11/15/2019
7	Tennessee	2	11/16/2019
8	Texas Tech	1.5	11/21/2019
9	Duke	4	11/26/2019
10	Ohio St.	2	11/13/2019
11	Oregon	1	11/12/2019
12	Washington	2	11/16/2019
13	Auburn	2	11/8/2019
14	Baylor	1	11/8/2019
15	UNC	4	11/27/2019
16	Iowa St.	1	11/27/2019
17	Cincinnati	1	11/6/2019
18	Villanova	1.5	11/13/2019
19	Virginia	1	11/6/2019
20	VCU	1.5	11/13/2019
21	LSU	2	11/22/2019
22	Georgetown	2	11/21/2019
23	Indiana	0.5
24	Butler	1	11/12/2019
25	Stanford
26	Clemson	2	11/24/2019
27	TCU	2	11/24/2019
28	Virginia Tech	3	11/26/2019
29	Maryland	1	11/9/2019
30	Arkansas	0.5

2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	James Wiseman	PF/C	Memphis	7'1"	240	Freshman
2	Obi Toppin	PF	Dayton	6'9"	220	Sophomore
3	Jaden McDaniels	SG/SF	Washington	6'9"	200	Freshman
4	Harlond Beverly	PG	Miami	6'4"	185	Freshman
5	Zeke Nnaji	PF	Arizona	6'11"	240	Freshman
6	Isaiah Stewart	PF	Washington	6'9"	250	Freshman
7	Filip Petrusev	SF/PF/C	Gonzaga	6'11"	235	Sophomore
8	Cole Anthony	PG	UNC	6'3"	190	Freshman
9	Tyrese Haliburton	PG	Iowa St.	6'5"	175	Sophomore
10	Anthony Edwards	SG	Georgia	6'5"	225	Freshman
11	Tyrese Maxey	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'3"	198	Freshman
12	Jordan Nwora	SF	Louisville	6'7"	225	Junior
13	Jahmi'us Ramsey	SG	Texas Tech	6'4"	195	Freshman
14	Vernon Carey Jr.	PF/C	Duke	6'11"	260	Freshman
15	Brandon Rachal	SG/SF	Tulsa	6'6"	220	Junior
16	Yves Pons	SF	Tennessee	6'6"	215	Junior
17	Samuell Williamson	SG	Louisville	6'7"	200	Freshman
18	Precious Achiuwa	SF	Memphis	6'9"	215	Freshman
19	Nico Mannion	PG	Arizona	6'3"	190	Freshman
20	Landers Nolly II	SG	Virginia Tech	6'7"	230	Freshman
21	Steven Enoch	PF/C	Louisville	6'10"	255	Senior
22	Isaiah Livers	PF/SF	Michigan	6'7"	230	Junior
23	Trayce Jackson-Davis	PF/C	Indiana	6'10"	235	Freshman
24	Wendell Moore Jr.	SG/SF	Duke	6'6"	210	Freshman
25	Nahziah Carter	SG/SF	Washington	6'6"	205	Junior
26	LJ Figueroa	SF/SG	St. John's	6'6"	195	Junior
27	Ochai Agbaji	SF	Kansas	6'5"	210	Sophomore
28	Cassius Stanley	SG	Duke	6'6"	198	Freshman
29	Josh Green	SG/SF	Arizona	6'6"	205	Freshman
30	Isaac Okoro	SG	Auburn	6'5"	200	Freshman

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels struggle with Elon, Alabama up next

UNC 75-Elon 61


Elon came out of the locker room on fire, hitting seemingly everything from three-point range for most of the first half.  Marcus Sheffield was the best player on the floor, and Carolina consistently gave up open shots and trailed 33-32 at the half.


UNC came out inspired to start the second stanza, led by freshman big man Armando Bacot.  Bacot had by far the best game of his young career, dominating Elon inside and on the glass on his way to 22 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals.  


Bacot played with tremendous effort and aggression.  He was simply too big and strong for the Phoenix to deal with, and if he can continue bringing that mentality he should be able to have success against almost anyone. 

Bacot tried to dunk every chance he got, but he also showed a nice touch with the jump hook around the rim.  He played great defense as well, and I’m now a lot more excited about his potential after this performance.


Cole Anthony had an off-shooting night and only scored nine points, but this was arguably his best game in other aspects.  Anthony got others involved and saw the court extremely well, making a few passes I wasn’t even sure he was capable of.  He showed he’s more than just a one-on-one scorer, and I’m excited to see his progression over the course of the season.



Game 5:  Alabama


I originally thought Alabama would be a step up in competition, but after seeing a few of their games I’m not so sure.  The Crimson Tide will definitely be the most athletic team UNC has faced, but they’re sloppy and don’t do anything particularly well.


Alabama tries to apply pressure defensively, but they leave a lot of open opportunities if you can take care of the ball.  Carolina has to be decisive and aggressive offensively and wait for the Alabama defense to make mistakes.  Alabama overplays defensively, leaving themselves extremely susceptible to pump fakes and screens.  It usually only takes a few passes for several driving lanes to open up, and the undisciplined nature of their defense ends up allowing lots of easy looks at the basket.


Alabama isn’t very impressive offensively either.  They’re turning the ball over way too much, and they don’t have many good ball handlers or passers.


Point guard Kira Lewis is by far their most dangerous weapon.  His battle with Cole Anthony is the most intriguing part of this game, and it will be a major measuring stick for NBA scouts.  


Lewis has great size and is extremely quick, long, and athletic.  He’s dangerous driving to the basket and finishes very well around the rim, but he often waits too long to get aggressive.  


Lewis has typically started slow and waited until the second half to go on the attack, but he’ll need to put pressure on the defense from the opening tip in this one for Alabama to have any hope of winning this game.  His speed and lightning-quick first step make him very difficult to defend, and he shoots it pretty well from three-point range too.


Alabama doesn’t have many good ball handlers outside of Kira Lewis, so they aren’t a huge threat to drive the ball to the basket.  They lack an inside scoring threat as well, so this team should be very easy to defend.  Keeping Kira Lewis out of the lane and getting out on three-point shooters should be the main objective for Carolina defensively, and if they can do that this should be an easy win for the Tar Heels.


John Petty and James “Beetle” Bolden are good three-point shooters and are the main guys you can’t leave open.  Petty is able to create his own shot off the dribble, but he’s also prone to making some very questionable decisions with the ball in his hands.  

Freshman Jaden Shackleford is another guy who can hit the three, but he’s been very inconsistent so far.  He’s shown glimpses of an all-around game and plays extremely hard, and it will likely take a breakout performance from him for Alabama to get the win.  UNC’s next game against Ohio State is where the real test will begin.




College Basketball Update



In other news around the country, there’s a new national championship threat and it’s not a team you’d normally think of.  A few days ago I wrote about Obi Toppin, the power forward from Dayton who just might be the best player in college basketball.  He’s a great talent who should definitely be a top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he’s got some good players around him as well.  Dayton is playing great basketball in the Maui Invitational, and I actually think they will keep it up and knock of Kansas to win the title.  I can’t say I saw this coming into the season, but I now think the Dayton Flyers have a legitimate chance to win the NCAA Championship this season.


Here are my updated rankings…

2020 Team Rankings		Games Seen	Last
1	Dayton	3	11/26/2019
2	Louisville	1	11/5/2019
3	Arizona
4	Tennessee	2	11/16/2019
5	Gonzaga	1	11/15/2019
6	Texas Tech	1.5	11/21/2019
7	Duke	4	11/26/2019
8	Kansas	2	11/8/2019
9	Ohio St.	2	11/13/2019
10	Michigan	1	11/12/2019
11	Oregon	1	11/12/2019
12	Washington	2	11/16/2019
13	Baylor	1	11/8/2019
14	Georgetown	2	11/21/2019
15	Penn St.	1	11/14/2019
16	Butler	1	11/12/2019
17	Villanova	1.5	11/13/2019
18	Indiana	0.5
19	Cincinnati	1	11/6/2019
20	Auburn	2	11/8/2019
21	UNC	3	11/20/2019
22	Virginia	1	11/6/2019
23	VCU	1.5	11/13/2019
24	LSU	2	11/22/2019
25	Clemson	2	11/24/2019
26	TCU	2	11/24/2019
27	Utah St.	1	11/22/2019
28	Virginia Tech	3	11/26/2019
29	Maryland	1	11/9/2019
30	Arkansas	0.5

2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	James Wiseman	PF/C	Memphis	7'1"	240	Freshman
2	Obi Toppin	PF	Dayton	6'9"	220	Sophomore
3	Jaden McDaniels	SG/SF	Washington	6'9"	200	Freshman
4	Harlond Beverly	PG	Miami	6'4"	185	Freshman
5	Zeke Nnaji	PF	Arizona	6'11"	240	Freshman
6	Isaiah Stewart	PF	Washington	6'9"	250	Freshman
7	Cole Anthony	PG	UNC	6'3"	190	Freshman
8	Anthony Edwards	SG	Georgia	6'5"	225	Freshman
9	Tyrese Maxey	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'3"	198	Freshman
10	Filip Petrusev	SF/PF/C	Gonzaga	6'11"	235	Sophomore
11	Jordan Nwora	SF	Louisville	6'7"	225	Junior
12	Jahmi'us Ramsey	SG	Texas Tech	6'4"	195	Freshman
13	Vernon Carey Jr.	PF/C	Duke	6'11"	260	Freshman
14	Isaiah Livers	PF/SF	Michigan	6'7"	230	Junior
15	Brandon Rachal	SG/SF	Tulsa	6'6"	220	Junior
16	Yves Pons	SF	Tennessee	6'6"	215	Junior
17	Samuell Williamson	SG	Louisville	6'7"	200	Freshman
18	Precious Achiuwa	SF	Memphis	6'9"	215	Freshman
19	Nico Mannion	PG	Arizona	6'3"	190	Freshman
20	Landers Nolly II	SG	Virginia Tech	6'7"	230	Freshman
21	Steven Enoch	PF/C	Louisville	6'10"	255	Senior
22	Trayce Jackson-Davis	PF/C	Indiana	6'10"	235	Freshman
23	Justin Smith	SF	Indiana	6'7"	230	Junior
24	Wendell Moore Jr.	SG/SF	Duke	6'6"	210	Freshman
25	Trendon Watford	SF/PF	LSU	6'9"	236	Freshman
26	Nahziah Carter	SG/SF	Washington	6'6"	205	Junior
27	LJ Figueroa	SF/SG	St. John's	6'6"	195	Junior
28	Ochai Agbaji	SF	Kansas	6'5"	210	Sophomore
29	Cassius Stanley	SG	Duke	6'6"	198	Freshman
30	Josh Green	SG/SF	Arizona	6'6"	205	Freshman

Week 3 College Basketball Rankings: Top 30 Players and Teams

Featured Player:  Obi Toppin, PF Dayton


I hadn’t seen a lot of Obi Toppin prior to this season, but after seeing him this year he immediately put himself in the conversation for the #1 pick.  James Wiseman’s size will likely keep him in that 1^st spot, but if Wiseman is off the board when it’s the Hornets turn to pick I’d strongly consider drafting Obi Toppin.


At 6’9” 220, Toppin is big and extremely athletic.  He plays with tremendous intensity and tenacity and stays on the attack on both ends of the floor.  He moves extremely well for a man his size, and he runs the court as well as anyone.


Toppin has every skill offensively.  He has a solid handle, allowing him to take the ball the length of the court after grabbing a rebound.  He attacks the rim with ferocity and aggression, never missing an opportunity to throw down a monster jam.  


He’s a good shooter with three-point range, and he’s very good in the post.  He reads the defense extremely well and makes perfectly-timed pinpoint passes when the opponent collapses on him.  He sets great screens and cuts hard off of them, and he instinctively understands the right time to dive to the rim to create the most separation.


Toppin’s length, athleticism, aggression and instincts make him a great defender as well.  He moves his feet to stay in front of most any opponent, and he challenges shots both at the rim and on the perimeter.  He plays with tremendous effort and fights extremely hard for position.  He boxes out early, making it much easier for him to dominate the glass.


Obi Toppin is probably the most well-rounded NBA-ready player I’ve seen so far, and I’m excited to see him against higher-level competition this week.  His Dayton Flyers play the first game of the Maui Jim Invitational today against Georgia, and while everyone is expecting a heavyweight matchup between Michigan State and Kansas for the championship in this tournament, I think both Dayton and Virginia Tech have a legitimate chance to mess that up.

2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	James Wiseman	PF/C	Memphis	7'1"	240	Freshman
2	Obi Toppin	PF	Dayton	6'9"	220	Sophomore
3	Jaden McDaniels	SG/SF	Washington	6'9"	200	Freshman
4	Harlond Beverly	PG	Miami	6'4"	185	Freshman
5	Zeke Nnaji	PF	Arizona	6'11"	240	Freshman
6	Isaiah Stewart	PF	Washington	6'9"	250	Freshman
7	Vernon Carey Jr.	PF/C	Duke	6'11"	260	Freshman
8	Filip Petrusev	SF/PF/C	Gonzaga	6'11"	235	Sophomore
9	Anthony Edwards	SG	Georgia	6'5"	225	Freshman
10	Wendell Moore Jr.	SG/SF	Duke	6'6"	210	Freshman
11	Cole Anthony	PG	UNC	6'3"	190	Freshman
12	Tyrese Maxey	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'3"	198	Freshman
13	Jordan Nwora	SF	Louisville	6'7"	225	Junior
14	Isaiah Livers	PF/SF	Michigan	6'7"	230	Junior
15	Brandon Rachal	SG/SF	Tulsa	6'6"	220	Junior
16	Yves Pons	SF	Tennessee	6'6"	215	Junior
17	Samuell Williamson	SG	Louisville	6'7"	200	Freshman
18	Jahmi'us Ramsey	SG	Texas Tech	6'4"	195	Freshman
19	Precious Achiuwa	SF	Memphis	6'9"	215	Freshman
20	Nico Mannion	PG	Arizona	6'3"	190	Freshman
21	Steven Enoch	PF/C	Louisville	6'10"	255	Senior
22	Kira Lewis Jr.	PG	Alabama	6'3"	165	Sophomore
23	Trayce Jackson-Davis	PF/C	Indiana	6'10"	235	Freshman
24	Justin Smith	SF	Indiana	6'7"	230	Junior
25	Landers Nolly II	SG	Virginia Tech	6'7"	230	Freshman
26	Trendon Watford	SF/PF	LSU	6'9"	236	Freshman
27	Nahziah Carter	SG/SF	Washington	6'6"	205	Junior
28	LJ Figueroa	SF/SG	St. John's	6'6"	195	Junior
29	Ochai Agbaji	SF	Kansas	6'5"	210	Sophomore
30	Jalen Smith	PF/C	Maryland	6'10"	225	Sophomore

Featured Team: Duke Blue Devils


I was really hoping Duke would take a big step back this season after the departures of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish, but unfortunately the new freshman are picking up right where they left off.


Vernon Carey is a beast down low.  He’s sure-handed and goes up extremely strong, finishing almost everything around the rim.  He’s a great rebounder who reads the ball extremely well out of the air and has great awareness around the basket, and he uses his huge frame to carve out position and grab most any rebound that comes anywhere close to him.


Carey handles the ball pretty well, and he’s got an incredible spin move that’s nearly impossible to defend.  He’s got a great touch around the basket, but he’ll try to dunk every chance he gets.


Carey plays extremely hard and can bring great intensity and competitiveness, but if there’s one complaint I have it’s that he is a little slow and not physical enough defensively.  He often gives his man a great angle to the basket, and he doesn’t use his size and strength as well as he should.  Despite this shortcoming, I fully expect him to continue improving and become a better defender down the road.


Wendell Moore is another freshman who’s really starting to take his game to another level.  He came off the bench and didn’t play a whole lot in their first game against Kansas, but he’s started the last two games and is now looking like a potential lottery pick.


Moore has great size and strength, and he’s also got a great handle that allows him to get wherever he wants to go.  He easily gets by his man and is a phenomenal finisher around the basket, but he’s also a great passer who can find the open man when the defense overhelps on him.  He’s a good shooter with three-point range, and there’s really nothing he can’t do offensively.


Moore’s size, strength, length, and competitiveness make him a very good defender as well.  He’s explosive off the floor, and he uses that leaping ability to block shots and grab rebounds.  Wendell Moore has a well-rounded game with no real holes already, and it’s scary to think how much better he can get.


Fellow freshman Cassius Stanley is an elite athlete who has shown flashes of brilliance as well.  He explodes off the floor for highlight-reel dunks, but he’s also shown the ability to knock down the three.  He’s borderline out of control emotionally, but I like his fire, intensity, and effort and it leads to him coming up with many rebounds and loose balls.


With Tre Jones leading the team as the “veteran” sophomore point guard, Duke is in position to make a run at a national championship this season.  While I do think this team has a few holes and will ultimately fall short of both the ACC and NCAA championship, it wouldn’t shock me to see them find a way to get it done.

2020 Team Rankings		Games Seen	Last
1	Louisville	1	11/5/2019
2	Arizona
3	Duke	3	11/22/2019
4	Tennessee	2	11/16/2019
5	Ohio St.	2	11/13/2019
6	Gonzaga	1	11/15/2019
7	Kansas	2	11/8/2019
8	Texas Tech	1.5	11/21/2019
9	Michigan	1	11/12/2019
10	Oregon	1	11/12/2019
11	Washington	2	11/16/2019
12	Baylor	1	11/8/2019
13	Maryland
14	VCU	1.5	11/13/2019
15	LSU	1	11/13/2019
16	Kansas St.	2	11/9/2019
17	Arkansas	0.5
18	Georgetown	2	11/21/2019
19	Penn St.	1	11/14/2019
20	TCU	2	11/24/2019
21	Butler	1	11/12/2019
22	Utah St.
23	Cincinnati	1	11/6/2019
24	Auburn	2	11/8/2019
25	Virginia	1	11/6/2019
26	Virginia Tech	1	11/5/2019
27	Villanova	1.5	11/13/2019
28	Dayton	1	11/16/2019
29	Indiana	0.5
30	Memphis	2	11/12/2019