One Basketball Player Each Top College Team Wishes Would Stay All Four Years

By (Analyst) on August 30, 2012

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There is one player that every college basketball coach has in mind that they just wish would stay in school for four years.

Anthony Davis was, of course, that player for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats last season, but we all saw how that ended up. So, scratch Davis and let's look at one player each top team wishes would stay for four years.

For the purposes of this article, we will look at the top 10 teams.

So, read on and enjoy.

10. Duke: Rasheed Sulaimon

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Rasheed Sulaimon hasn't even played a single minute for the Duke Blue Devils and he is already being considered a lottery pick. 

That is because Sulaimon is lethal from just about anywhere on the court, he can get to the basket and finish and he scores at will. His skill sets are much like Austin Rivers and Rivers was one-and-done. Expect Sulaimon to be the same, but that doesn't mean Coach K can't wish for him to stay for four years.

9. Michigan: Tim Hardaway Jr.

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Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Trey Burke could have easily replaced Tim Hardaway, Jr. in this slide, but Hardaway is clearly the one player that Michigan will miss the most.

If Hardaway has a good enough season with Michigan, he could very easily be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. Expect this to happen, since the Wolverines are stacked this year. 

8. Michigan State: Branden Dawson

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Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Branden Dawson tearing his ACL may keep him in a Spartans uniform for a little longer than he expected. However, Dawson will still likely leave Michigan State for the NBA draft after the 2012-13 season.

As a freshman, Dawson put up 8.4 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. Thanks to Draymond Green not being on the team anymore, expect Dawson's production to go way up. That is when he is healthy though.

Once healthy, Dawson will most likely leave the Spartans for brighter pastures. Pastures called the NBA that is. 

7. Florida: Patric Young

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Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Sure, Patric Young will be a junior this season, but that does not mean him staying one more year would not be a blessing for the Florida Gators.

Billy Donovan has revolved his Gators into a three-point shooting team, which is why the big man Young is such an asset to Florida.

Young is the equalizer for the Gators because he is so dominant in the post on both sides of the court. So when Florida isn't knocking down threes left and right, they can count on Young to put the basketball into the hoop.

6. Kansas: Ben McLemore

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Ben McLemore redshirted his freshman season with Kansas, but don't let that fool you. He is a very talented wing that is developing his perimeter game.

McLemore is a big reason why the Jayhawks will most likely do so well this season, but don't expect him to stay around too long at Kansas. 

5. UCLA: Shabazz Muhammad

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

There is no way that Shabazz Muhammad will stay longer than a year at UCLA. Am I right or am I right?

Muhammad is only considered one of the best if not the best freshman this year. He could certainly have one heck of a college career as a Bruin, but why do that when he could be making millions in the NBA. 

Keep on dreaming Ben Howland.

4. Ohio State: Deshaun Thomas

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Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Deshaun Thomas went off in the NCAA tournament last year. He only averaged 19.2 points per game and all in the dance.

Thomas will have a great season this year, which will make his draft stock go up. As a result, this man will not be a Ohio State Buckeye after this season. It's amazing he stuck around this long to be honest. 

3. Kentucky: Nerlens Noel

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Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Nerlens Noel is good enough to resemble Anthony Davis. 

Noel is a shot-blocking machine, which will help make him the best defender in college basketball. Noel is a preseason favorite to win the Naismith trophy and he will also likely be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

I am sure Kentucky knows all about that. 

2. Louisville: Gorgui Dieng

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Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Gorgui Dieng will be a junior in the upcoming season. Louisville should be counting its blessings that he has stayed this long.

Last season, Dieng averaged 9.1 in both points per game and rebounds per game. Not to mention, he managed to block 3.2 shots per game.

Dieng is a huge threat on defense and will most likely dip out on his senior year to become a pro. 

1. Indiana: Cody Zeller

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Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

North Carolina's Tyler Zeller was an amazing player in college and Cody Zeller is that much better.

Cody helped bring the Indiana Hoosiers back to elite form last season. As a result, Indiana will most likely be the No. 1 team in the nation to start off the year. 

Zeller's great play in 2012-13 will earn him the No. 2 spot in the NBA draft. So, the Hoosiers can wish away, but their wish will not be granted, meaning Zeller will not stay in school for four years. 

 

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.

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