(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Losing Gerald Henderson was a big blow, but they still have solid returning contributors in Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. Nolan Smith will play a bigger role this year, and incoming freshmen Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee will improve their depth up front.
That front court remains their biggest issue, though. The Duke back court hasn't been a major issue the last few years, but their interior defense and rebounding has often been lacking.
They also haven't had a dependable interior scorer to balance their outside shooting. Plumlee could help solve those issues, but Singler and Kelly have more of a finesse style to their game.
Still, they have a history of getting a high seed and I don't think that will change this year.
5) Texas Longhorns
They may have been a seven seed last year, but I love their roster.
The return of Damion James bumped them from favorite sleeper to legitimate contender. James is a match up nightmare at power forward and they have plenty of beef inside with Dexter Pittman and Gary Johnson.
Replacing sharp-shooter AJ Abrams won't be easy, but there is plenty of incoming talent on the perimeter.
Avery Bradley is an electrifying guard that can drive at will, and Jordan Hamilton is another top recruit that can have a huge impact on the wing. They also add transfer Jai Lucas, who was an efficient but not spectacular guard at Florida.
There is quite a bit of uncertainty on the roster at this point and they will likely take some time to gel.
However, they have more talent than virtually anyone in the country, and will be dangerous if most of these players can produce to their abilities.
6) Purdue Boilermakers
They might not play with as much style and flair as some other teams on this list, but they're brutally efficient and have all of their key players returning.
Robbie Hummel is one of the best inside/outside threats in the country, James Johnson was a beast defensively and contributed some easy buckets, and E'Twaun Moore is a capable sniper.
I'm not totally sure that Purdue has enough depth and balance to be a major title threat, though. No one really wows you outside of their big three, so they can struggle to score at times.
They should be highly successful in the Big Ten, but I think they bow out of the tournament when they run into a more athletic and explosive scoring team.
7) Tennessee Volunteers
They were a very young team last year, and with more experience, they should be dangerous. Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism give them two talented forwards that will be a real hanful on defense, and they a multiple of players in the back court with potential.
Some of those guys will have to make a leap forward for them to have any kind of consistency.
With their athleticism and fast paced style, they'll be able to run a lot of teams off the court, but Scotty Hopson, Bobby Maze, Cameron Tatum, and JP Prince will have to convert more regularly on offense and step up defensively.
They also don't have a lot of depth up front, which could seriously hurt them if Chism gets in foul trouble.
8) Kentucky Wildcats
8 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete