College Basketball Teams Returning the Most Talent for the 2016-17 Season
The Wisconsin Badgers scored 2,373 points in 2015-16, and they are one of the candidates to win the 2017 national championship because they bring back all but six of those points for another season.
Earlier in the month, we ranked the most drastic offseason makeovers in college basketball, which was a list of the teams losing the most scoring from last season. This is the inverse of that list, in which teams are ranked in ascending order of percentage of points returning.
The only criterion for making this list was winning at least 55 percent of games last season, which 152 teams did. It's an arbitrary threshold, but apologies for not wanting to write about Binghamton retaining 98.1 percent of the points from a team that went 8-22.
Beyond that, it was just a matter of determining which of those 152 teams did the best job of avoiding graduations, transfers and the NBA draft. We found 20 that return at least 76 percent of their points, and most of those teams should be even better in 2016-17 because of it.
20. Pittsburgh Panthers
1 of 20
2015-16 Record: 21-12
Percentage of Points Returning: 76.1
Players Lost: James Robinson (337 points), Sterling Smith (148 points), Rafael Maia (66 points), Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (40 points), Mike Lecak (2 points)
A testament to the sheer volume of roster turnover that occurs on an annual basis in college basketball, Pittsburgh is in better shape than 94 percent of the country despite losing its starting point guard, its sixth man and two other players who joined the program as graduate transfers last year.
That's because the Panthers frontcourt went nearly untouched. Michael Young, Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Ryan Luther scored a combined 1,613 points last season, and all five of those forwards are coming back for new head coach Kevin Stallings.
Having said that, they desperately need to figure out their point guard situation if they're going to accomplish anything this season. Pitt barely made the NCAA tournament last year, and the ACC is tougher and deeper than it was in 2015-16. Unless freshman point guard Justice Kithcart is ready to lead this team from day one, it might spend most of the season searching for answers.
19. Marquette Golden Eagles
2 of 20
2015-16 Record: 20-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 77.7
Players Lost: Henry Ellenson (561 points), Michael Mache (1 point)
Brace yourself for a brief onslaught of teams that lost one star player and little to nothing else.
Before becoming the No. 18 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Henry Ellenson was Marquette's bread and butter. He led the Golden Eagles in minutes, points, rebounds and blocks while ranking second on the roster in made three pointers and pitching in a respectable number of assists and steals. Replacing him will not be easy, to say the least.
But he's all they really lost, and they add standout shooting guards Andrew Rowsey (UNC-Asheville transfer) and Katin Reinhardt (USC transfer) to help out with the points and three-pointers.
It's whether Steve Wojciechowski can figure out a way to make up for those rebounds and blocks that will determine Marquette's ceiling for the season. He signed a couple of top-100 freshman small forwards in Sam Hauser and Brendan Bailey, but it's Luke Fischer or bust as far as frontcourt play is concerned.
Maybe a returnee like JaJuan Johnson, Haanif Cheatham or Sandy Cohen can be the type of undersized "power forward" Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) or Josh Hart (Villanova) have been, but it's a shame Marquette doesn't have more size in the 77.7 percent of points it's getting back.
18. Weber State Wildcats
3 of 20
2015-16 Record: 26-9
Percentage of Points Returning: 78.0
Players Lost: Joel Bolomboy (565 points), Jeremiah Jefferson (20 points)
As is the case with Henry Ellenson and Marquette, it's more than just the points that Weber State will be missing with Joel Bolomboy. He scored 21.2 percent of the Wildcats' points, but also accounted for 32.0 percent of their rebounds and 33.6 percent of their blocks. He also developed into more of a versatile weapon before graduating, making 36.4 percent of his three-point attempts as a senior.
Weber State did pick up a potential Big Sky Conference star in signing Utah transfer Brekkott Chapman, but he won't be eligible until 2017-18—at which point they'll also be trying to replace Jeremy Senglin, who scored 625 points as a junior in 2015-16.
Until then, the Wildcats might be left to hope Zach Braxton picks up the bulk of the slack Bolomboy's departure left.
One of just three players taller than 6'5" to score more than two points last year, Braxton averaged 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per 40 minutes while shooting 61.8 percent from the field as a freshman. He has a long way to go to match what Bolomboy did per game last year (17.1 points and 12.6 rebounds), but quick fixes are hard to come by when building rosters in the Big Sky.
17. Dayton Flyers
4 of 20
2015-16 Record: 25-8
Percentage of Points Returning: 79.4
Players Lost: Dyshawn Pierre (278 points), Steve McElvene (196 points), Bobby Wehrli (20 points)
Prior to Steve McElvene's tragic death due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in May, Dayton would have been No. 5 on this list. But even after that loss, the Flyers are more intact than most.
Losing Dyshawn Pierre to graduation hurts, but we already know they can play without him. He was suspended for the first semester last season, but Dayton went 8-2 with wins over Iowa, Vanderbilt, Monmouth, William & Mary and Alabama during that time.
McElvene and Pierre were Dayton's two best rebounders last season. Under normal circumstances, that would be cause for serious concern. But the Flyers lost forwards Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson a month into the 2014-15 season and got by just fine on the glass without anyone taller than 6'6" left on the roster.
Like a mid-major Wisconsin, Dayton is one of those teams that always manages to protect the defensive glass. Between Bradley transfer Josh Cunningham, freshman Kostas Antetokounmpo and returnees like Charles Cooke and Kendall Pollard, we trust Archie Miller will make it work en route to a fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
16. Belmont Bruins
5 of 20
2015-16 Record: 20-12
Percentage of Points Returning: 80.0
Players Lost: Craig Bradshaw (526 points), Jeff Laidig (2 points)
If you can believe it, this is Belmont's second straight season with one of the highest retention rates in the country. The Bruins kept 81.2 percent of their points from 2014-15 and will bring back 80.0 percent from last year.
That means they're headed for some serious turnover in the next two years, but that degree of cohesion should keep them as one of the better mid-major programs for at least one more year—despite losing their star player of the past three years.
Craig Bradshaw didn't quite lead Belmont in scoring last season (Evan Bradds bested him by 38 points), but he did score at least 525 points in each of the past three years, finishing his career with 249 made three-pointers. Bradshaw also averaged at least 1.3 steals, 3.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in each of those seasons, so the Bruins are losing more than just an accurate shooter.
But they do still have Bradds, as well as four other guys who each attempted at least 100 three-pointers while making at least 35 percent of them.
More playing time for Dylan Windler as a sophomore should help plug the defensive and rebounding gaps Bradshaw leaves behind. If Austin Luke can cut down on turnovers as a junior point guard—he averaged 3.8 per game last year—Belmont should be even better this year than it was last year.
15. UAB Blazers
6 of 20
2015-16 Record: 26-7
Percentage of Points Returning: 82.2
Players Lost: Robert Brown (463 points)
Like Belmont, UAB is a repeat "offender" on this list. The Blazers brought back an incredible 90.4 percent of scoring from 2014-15 before also bringing back all but one player from last year. Such are the benefits of breaking out a year ahead of schedule with a roster full of freshmen and sophomores.
But there are only five teams in our top 15 that lost a player who averaged at least 10 points per game last season, and no loss is bigger than losing UAB's Robert Brown.
After transferring in from Virginia Tech, Brown immediately became the star for the Blazers. He averaged 13.7 points per game two years ago and finished that season with 207 more points than his closest teammate. In UAB's first-round upset of Iowa State in the 2015 NCAA tournament, Brown led all scorers with 21 points. He put up another 25 points in their second-round loss to UCLA.
The gap wasn't nearly as pronounced this past season—Brown only led the Blazers in scoring by a margin of 30 points—but he was still clearly their go-to guy. He was their best and primary three-point shooter and one of their best passers and on-ball defenders.
In the end, though, he's just one of the nine guys who averaged at least 12 minutes per game last season, and Southern Illinois transfer Deion Lavender should help plug that gap. UAB's bigger loss was head coach Jerod Haase going to Stanford, but new coach Robert Ehsan has plenty of talent to work with in his first season.
14. North Dakota State Bison
7 of 20
2015-16 Record: 20-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 82.8
Players Lost: Kory Brown (280 points), Chris Kading (99 points), Brian Ishola (10 points), Trey Miller (1 point)
North Dakota State should have been one of the country's better minor-conference teams last season, but it was injury-ravaged. Seven Bison averaged at least 6.3 points per game last season, but three of those players missed at least six games, and five of the seven missed at least one game.
And the worst part is the injuries didn't overlap, so they were in a nearly constant state of playing a man down. Kory Brown (10.4 PPG) missed six nonconference games. Carlin Dupree (8.2 PPG) missed six straight conference games and came back just in time for Paul Miller (15.3 PPG) to miss seven of the next nine games.
In total, they played 21 of their 33 games without at least one of their top seven guys.
And yet, they won 20 games, so with every key piece other than Brown returning for another season, this should be the Summit League team to beat—if it can stay healthy for a change.
13. Siena Saints
8 of 20
2015-16 Record: 21-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 82.9
Players Lost: Ryan Oliver (248 points), Kenny Wormley (155 points), Kinnon LaRose (37 points), Imoh Silas (13 points), Jimmy Paige (1 point)
Now we're getting serious.
Siena does lose a number of noteworthy role players. Ryan Oliver ranked fifth in minutes played as a senior. Kenny Wormley was sixth in that category as a freshman before suddenly deciding in August to transfer to Indian Hills Community College. And Kinnon LaRose was ninth—which was only good for 5.4 minutes per game last season, but the now-sophomore likely would have become a key reserve.
But Oliver and Wormley only ranked Nos. 5 and 6 in minutes because Marquis Wright missed 15 games due to an injured foot. Though he barely played half the season, he averaged 14.5 points per game and ended up fifth on the team in total points scored in 2015-16. All five of those players are coming back this season.
That makes the Saints one of the top candidates to win the MAAC, provided they can manage to replace that lost bench production. Evan Fisher is the only returning reserve who logged at least 2.0 minutes per team game last season, but if he can ascend to sixth man, while two or three others step up to provide valuable minutes off the bench, Siena could be one heck of a dangerous No. 12 or No. 13 seed in March.
12. New Hampshire Wildcats
9 of 20
2015-16 Record: 20-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 83.0
Players Lost: Ronnel Jordan (294 points), Pat McNamara (96 points), Andrew Dotson (9 points)
One could pretty easily make the case that New Hampshire has the worst college basketball program in college basketball history.
According to Sports-Reference.com, there are 224 schools that have played at least 1,250 games in program history. Only two have an all-time winning percentage below .400: VMI (37.3 percent) and New Hampshire (34.0 percent). The Wildcats have never been to the NCAA tournament and have only won one regular-season championship, splitting the 1983 ECACN title with Boston University.
In 78 seasons, they only have three with more than 16 wins.
But they won 19 games two years ago, won a school-best 20 games last year and bring back six of their seven leading scorers in hopes of going where no New Hampshire team has gone before.
With Stony Brook and Albany each losing most of their key weapons from last season, the Wildcats couldn't have picked a better year to finally make their stand. They'll have some fierce competition from another America East team that's higher up on our list and that went 3-0 against them last season, but maybe that motivation will push Tanner Leissner, Jaleen Smith and company to new heights.
11. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
10 of 20
2015-16 Record: 21-14
Percentage of Points Returning: 83.2
Players Lost: Julian DeBose (288 points), Filip Cvjeticanin (140 points), Brian Greene (27 points)
Though it went 0-6 against KenPom.com top-160 teams last season en route to a tie for second place in the Atlantic Sun standings, Florida Gulf Coast looked like a team once again on the verge of something special.
The Eagles battled well in early games against Texas A&M and South Dakota State before trailing North Carolina by just one at halftime in what temporarily looked like it might be the first ever instance of a No. 16 seed upsetting a No. 1 seed.
Well, don't look now, but FGCU is getting most of that band back together for another run.
Filip Cvjeticanin did most of his damage early in the year, scoring a grand total of 14 points in his final 13 games. That's no big loss, and neither is Brian Greene, who played eight minutes in his final eight games. And though he was their fourth-leading scorer, Julian DeBose was hardly an efficient offensive weapon.
What the Eagles are gaining is more than they're losing. UCF transfer Brandon Goodwin averaged 10.2 points and 4.2 assists per game two years ago and should have little trouble taking DeBose's spot. They also picked up Michigan transfer Ricky Doyle and Texas Tech transfer C.J. Williamson. Neither one is eligible to play this year, but having that major-conference talent in practice should pay dividends.
10. Idaho Vandals
11 of 20
2015-16 Record: 21-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 84.5
Players Lost: Chris Sarbaugh (190 points), Nahshon George (143 points), Skyler White (19 points), Paulin Mpawe (15 points)
Chris Sarbaugh and Nahshon George averaged a combined 9.9 points per game as seniors, but Idaho gets back its three highest-scoring guards and its three highest-scoring forwards from last season.
So don't worry about the Vandals missing those two guys. In fact, they might be better off without them.
Their biggest issue as a team last season was committing turnovers. According to KenPom.com, they ranked 347th in the nation in offensive turnover percentage, averaging nearly 15 per game. As the primary ball-handler, Sarbaugh was the biggest culprit, finishing the season with a 1.45 assist-to-turnover ratio while averaging 3.5 turnovers per 40 minutes. And George was even worse at 4.7 turnovers per 40 minutes.
Six Vandals had an O-rating of 104 or higher last season, but none of the players they lost fit that description.
Look for Victor Sanders to blossom into one of the country's top minor-conference players. The now-junior put up 15.9 points per game while playing fewer than 30 minutes on average and is Idaho's top defender. As an example of what he can do, he had 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in a win over Northern Arizona.
9. Vermont Catamounts
12 of 20
2015-16 Record: 23-14
Percentage of Points Returning: 84.6
Players Lost: Ethan O'Day (402 points), Dylan Sinnickson (26 points)
One of college basketball's best-kept secrets is that Vermont has won at least 20 games in eight consecutive seasons.
With quality freshmen nearly impossible to come by, minor-conference programs aren't typically able to string together more than a couple of successful years in a row. Heck, most major-conference programs can't do it for as long as Vermont has. In fact, there are only 14 schools with at least 20 wins in each of the last eight years.
Seven of them (Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State and Wisconsin) hail from major conferences while five others (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Diego State and VCU) might as well be major-conference programs playing in mid-major conferences. That leaves Akron and Vermont as the only two minor-conference teams on the list, and Akron's conference (Mid-American) is much more of a mid-major than Vermont's (America East).
And you can probably pencil the Catamounts in for a ninth straight season with at least 20 wins, since they get almost everyone back from last year.
Ethan O'Day is no small loss, though, figuratively or literally. The 6'9" forward led the team in rebounds and blocks while averaging 11.5 points per game. And Vermont has quite a few challenging nonconference games against Butler, Providence, Harvard, South Carolina, Siena and Yale.
However, Tulane transfer Payton Henson (13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds per 40 minutes in 2014-15) should help, as will Albany and Stony Brook fielding significantly worse rosters than in recent years. This isn't a team likely to repeat 2005 by earning a No. 13 seed before upsetting Syracuse, but winning the AEC is a strong possibility.
8. Ohio Bobcats
13 of 20
2015-16 Record: 23-12
Percentage of Points Returning: 84.7
Players Lost: Treg Setty (420 points)
Three years ago, five of Ohio's eight leading scorers were seniors. Not surprisingly, new head coach Saul Phillips had some trouble with the roster he inherited, going 10-20 in his first season. But he turned things around beautifully last year with help from Houston transfer Jaaron Simmons and Michigan State transfer Kenny Kaminski.
Both of those guys will be back for at least one more year, as is double-double machine Antonio Campbell. The 2016 MAC Player of the Year averaged 17.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game last season, recording a double-double in 17 of his 35 games.
All that's missing is Treg Setty.
Ohio's stretch 4 averaged 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last year, but the Bobcats have options for replacing him. Freshmen Gavin Block and Doug Taylor both put up solid numbers in limited minutes and should be headed for more playing time in Setty's absence. If Taylor uses that opportunity to become even more of a lethal weapon on the offensive glass, it would plug one of the biggest holes Ohio had last season.
7. Virginia Tech Hokies
14 of 20
2015-16 Record: 20-15
Percentage of Points Returning: 85.3
Players Lost: Jalen Hudson (293 points), Shane Henry (60 points), Satchel Pierce (32 points)
At 8.4 points per game, Jalen Hudson might seem like a significant loss for the Hokies.
However, he was equal parts inconsistent and inefficient. His 93.7 O-rating was among the worst on the roster, while his negative-0.7 box plus/minus was worst among the 11 Hokies who played at least 40 minutes.
The 28-point game against BYU in the NIT was nice, but there were at least two bad games for every good one, which caused him to bounce in and out of the starting lineup.
Moreover, he was likely going to open the 2016-17 season on the bench.
While no official reason for his transfer was given, roster congestion had to have been part of his thought process. Ahmed Hill is returning from knee surgery, and JUCO stud Ty Outlaw is joining the roster after sitting out last season. Add in Seth Allen, Justin Bibbs, Chris Clarke and Justin Robinson and Hudson would have been one of seven guards legitimately vying for a starting job.
Ergo, Virginia Tech is well-equipped to move on without him. As long as Zach LeDay gives the Hokies another solid year in the post, they should be one of the many teams representing the ACC in the NCAA tournament.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
15 of 20
2015-16 Record: 21-14
Percentage of Points Returning: 87.1
Players Lost: Daniel Giddens (127 points), A.J. Harris (99 points), Mickey Mitchell (47 points), Austin Grandstaff (44 points)
For all the hubbub over the number of transfers the Buckeyes lost, they sure do have a lot of important players returning.
Granted, it neither looks good nor bodes well for the long-term future when four of your five 4-star freshmen leave after one season—or after less than a semester, in the case of Austin Grandstaff—but the immediate future is bright. Ohio State had six players average at least 4.5 points per game last season, and all six are coming back.
Losing Nos. 7-10 on the depth chart might sting a little bit, but with guys like Derek Funderburk and C.J. Jackson joining the team, Thad Matta shouldn't have any trouble filling out that portion of his rotation.
But will the team actually get any better?
Dripping with inexperience, the Buckeyes missed the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2008. And according to KenPom.com, they were the country's 80th-best team, which was their first time finishing outside the top 33 under Matta. Early losses to UT-Arlington, Louisiana Tech and Memphis doomed them to the NIT despite an 11-7 B1G record.
Save for the occasional blowout loss to a title contender, they seemed to improve as the season progressed, though, and should only get better with added experience. Of their six leading scorers from last season, four were sophomores and one was a freshman. If nothing else, the Buckeyes should be savvier this year.
5. Texas-Arlington Mavericks
16 of 20
2015-16 Record: 24-11
Percentage of Points Returning: 87.4
Players Lost: Kennedy Eubanks (212 points), Nick Pallas (118 points), Courtney Austin (19 points), Brandon Williams (11 points)
It was a rough year to have a breakout season in the Sun Belt Conference.
After going a combined 31-32 in the previous two seasons, Texas-Arlington got out to a great start, upsetting Ohio State and Memphis on the road and taking Texas to overtime en route to a 14-3 record. But between star player Kevin Hervey (18.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG) tearing his ACL in mid-January and Arkansas-Little Rock destined to do great things, it just wasn't meant to be for the Mavericks.
UALR lost four key players and its head coach, though, while UTA gets back all six of its leading scorers—provided Hervey makes a full recovery. Kennedy Eubanks is the biggest loss, and he only averaged 16 minutes per game as a senior and only started seven of the 19 games after Hervey's injury.
This is a team that needs to be on your radar for a potential upset or two in the 2017 NCAA tournament. If you don't believe us yet, perhaps you'll be converted by their games against Texas Southern, Minnesota, Florida Gulf Coast and Texas in the first week of the season.
4. Monmouth Hawks
17 of 20
2015-16 Record: 28-8
Percentage of Points Returning: 88.7
Players Lost: Deon Jones (323 points)
If you thought the Bench Mob was going to be a one-hit wonder, think again.
A two-hit wonder is much more likely, as six of last year's nine leading scorers were juniors, including stud point guard Justin Robinson. At 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, Robinson was the biggest 5'8" guard in the country. And with Kay Felder out of the picture, he could be the minor-conference player that everyone falls in love with this year.
Oklahoma transfer Je'lon Hornbeak and big man Chris Brady are also high on the list of key seniors on this year's roster, but it's a pair of sophomores who may determine how well the Hawks fare this year.
With Deon Jones graduating, both Pierre Sarr and Diago Quinn should be in the running for significant playing time at power forward.
A broken hand cost Jones five games late last season, and while neither Sarr nor Quinn started any of those games, they did average 23.6 minutes in those contests, compared to 11.5 the rest of the year. And in one of those games, Quinn had six points and 16 rebounds in just 16 minutes, so it's not as if King Rice will be grudgingly playing him due to lack of other options.
But even if both of those forwards flop as sophomores, Monmouth should be in good shape. A starting five of Robinson, Brady, Hornbeak, Micah Seaborn and Josh James with Collin Stewart as the first man off the bench is more than enough to do some serious damage in the MAAC. The Hawks will have stiff competition from Siena and St. Peter's, but they're the team to beat in this conference.
3. Saint Mary's Gaels
18 of 20
2015-16 Record: 29-6
Percentage of Points Returning: 98.8
Players Lost: Franklin Porter (30 points)
It was tempting to leave a slide blank or make one with a graph of the continental divide to demonstrate how much of a gap there is between these top three teams and the rest of the country.
Monmouth is in great shape at No. 4, getting back just a shade under eight out of every nine points it scored last season. But the Hawks still lost a guy who averaged 10.4 points per game.
Saint Mary's didn't even lose 10.4 points per month, and it only has the third-best retention rate.
The Gaels were on the opposite end of this spectrum one year ago, losing slightly more than 80 percent of their scoring from 2014-15. With Emmett Naar and Dane Pineau the only returning players particularly worth noting, they should have gotten significantly worse.
Instead, they improved from 21-10 to 29-6, thanks to monster years from those two guys, major contributions from Boston College transfer Joe Rahon and a trio of freshmen who averaged at least 4.0 points per game.
With nary a senior on the roster, Saint Mary's got back every single player except for one freshman from Portland, Oregon, who decided to transfer to Portland. The Gaels controversially missed the 2016 NCAA tournament, but they should be a preseason AP Top 25 team this year with this much returning talent.
2. Princeton Tigers
19 of 20
2015-16 Record: 22-7
Percentage of Points Returning: 99.3
Players Lost: Mike Washington (15 points)
Over the final 13 games of last season, Mike Washington played 16 scoreless minutes for Princeton.
Just a hunch, but we think the Tigers will find a way to carry on without him.
The scary thing is Princeton was already quite good. With the team ranking 65th in the KenPom rankings in 2015-16, it was the program's most impressive season since going 27-2 and earning a No. 5 seed in 1998—which should serve as a reminder that, despite 13 consecutive seasons as a No. 12 seed or worse, a team from the Ivy League can make an impact in the national landscape.
But a pair of close road losses to Yale and Harvard doomed the Tigers to the 2016 NIT.
They would have gotten a second chance this year, as the Ivy League finally gave in and added a four-team tournament to determine which team it sends to the NCAA tournament with an automatic bid.
Even if they slip up in that small tournament, though, Princeton might have the firepower to make the big one as an at-large team—which would be a first for the Ivy League. Led by Devin Cannady, Henry Caruso and Spencer Weisz, Princeton had both an efficient offense and a turnover-forcing defense that should carry over for another year.
Also, the Tigers get Hans Brase back after he missed the entire 2015-16 season with a knee injury. The stretch 4 averaged 11.5 points per game two years ago, so Princeton is gaining way more than it's losing.
1. Wisconsin Badgers
20 of 20
2015-16 Record: 22-13
Percentage of Points Returning: 99.7
Players Lost: Jordan Smith (4 points), Riley Dearring (2 points)
Six measly points. That's all the Badgers lose from a team that was drastically better in the second half of last season than it was in the first.
And like several other teams we've encountered on this list, Wisconsin is adding more than it's subtracting. Brevin Pritzl and Andy Van Vliet were key members of last year's recruiting class, but save for four minutes that Pritzl played in an early win over Siena, neither one appeared in a single game. The Badgers also picked up a pair of 3-star freshmen in this year's class.
Where will they fit into the equation, though, with all nine of last year's leading scorers returning for another year?
It makes for an intriguing dichotomy atop the projected Big Ten standings. While Michigan State is expected to do big things with one of the best group of freshmen in the nation, Wisconsin ought to contend for a national championship because of its returning players.
And, really, take your pick from this starting five if you're trying to predict Big Ten Player of the Year candidates. Nigel Hayes is the obvious one, but Ethan Happ had a monster freshman year, Vitto Brown broke out in a huge way as a junior and Bronson Koenig is a cagey veteran who has gotten better every year.
This is the only team in the country that has played in each of the past three Sweet 16s, and the Badgers have more than enough talent to get back there for a fourth straight year.
Stats are courtesy of KenPom.com or Sports-Reference.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports, unless noted otherwise.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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