Holiday Wish List for Each Top 25 College Basketball Team

What do you get for the college basketball teams that (seemingly) have everything?

For those currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, life has been pretty good so far in the 2014-15 season. But no team is perfect, and all of them have something they're lacking, something that might make for a great holiday gift.

Most of what these teams need can't be wrapped—though putting a bow on a player would make for a fun picture—but the thought is there. We at Bleacher Report have put careful thought into the gifts that every current Top 25 team would like this holiday season.

25. Michigan State Spartans

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Protective gloves for Branden Dawson

There aren't a lot of injuries that basketball players can fight through and stay on the court, but few can cause as many lingering problems as ones to the hands. Not being able to dribble, pass, catch or shoot effectively because of a hand injury basically renders a player useless.

Michigan State (8-3) is hoping it's not snakebit by hand ailments, especially after senior Branden Dawson broke his left wrist during its 66-46 win Wednesday over Eastern Michigan. The Spartans' Twitter account sent out an update Thursday, saying it was a "stable, non-displaced fracture" that will keep him out at least two games.

Dawson, who is averaging 10.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, missed nine games in the middle of Big Ten play last season after breaking his right hand by slamming it down on a table in reaction to how he looked on game film. Guard Keith Appling also had a lingering hand injury last year.

24. North Carolina Tar Heels

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A partner for Paige

After scoring only five points in 26 minutes during Tuesday's 79-56 win at UNC-Greensboro, Marcus Paige is no longer the leading scorer for North Carolina (7-3). That's not so much the issue as how the Tar Heels have gotten to this point.

Kennedy Meeks leads the team at 13.8 points per game, with Paige at 13.1 (down from 17.5 a year ago). Meeks, Brice Johnson and others have picked up the scoring slack, but most of that is coming in the paint, where UNC is able to dominate most teams with its size advantage.

But on the perimeter, Paige is still really the only option, and it's not been a good one. He's shooting 34.8 percent (down from 44 percent in 2013-14) and 34 percent on three-pointers. He's taken more threes than any other teammate, and his struggles there are why the team is making only 28.9 percent from outside.

UNC needs another perimeter scoring option to both take pressure off Paige and make it so when the inside game isn't there the offense doesn't disappear.

23. Butler Bulldogs

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More minutes for Kelan Martin

Butler (8-2) has used the same starting lineup in all 10 games this season, with every starter averaging at least 7.5 points and 25.5 minutes per game. It's been a reliable group, win or lose, but if any shuffling is needed there's a great option just tearing it up in limited minutes as a reserve.

Kelan Martin, a 6'6" freshman, is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game despite only playing 16.1 minutes. He averages 26.8 points per game per 40 minutes thanks to 47 percent shooting that includes 59.1 percent on two-point shots.

He had a career-high 23 points in 18 minutes in a November win over Loyola (Maryland), and in the Bulldogs' upset of North Carolina at the Battle 4 Atlantis he poured in 17 points in 17 minutes.

22. West Virginia Mountaineers

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Patience on putbacks

Being strong on the offensive boards can mean two things: first, that a team is effective at grabbing its own misses, but it also likely means their shooters aren't too accurate.

West Virginia (9-1) leads the nation with 196 offensive rebounds, as well a strong offensive rebounding rate of 43.5 percent. But the Mountaineers only shoot 40.8 percent from the field, which means all those second-chance opportunities aren't getting maximized.

The Mountaineers are among the more fast-paced teams in Division I, averaging 71.5 possessions per 40 minutes, and 68.4 percent of their shots are from two-point range. But at only 46.4 percent on twos, West Virginia is squandering some easy scoring opportunities.

21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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A rematch with Providence

Notre Dame (10-1) hasn't necessarily played the toughest schedule in the country—its strength of schedule stands at 325, according to CBS Sports, thanks to five opponents rated 297th or worse—but it has earned some quality wins against Massachusetts and Michigan State. Then there's the one that got away, a one-point loss to Providence in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off finals.

Given the chance to replay that game, the Fighting Irish might not have done much differently on offense. They shot 50 percent, and for the season lead the nation at 55.7 percent, but their defensive game plan could have used some tweaking.

Namely, Notre Dame would have probably made a better effort to contain Providence's LaDontae Henton, who went for 38 points on 14-of-19 shooting and who made a pair of free throws with 14.8 seconds left to clinch the victory.

20. St. John's Red Storm

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Travel insurance

St. John's (8-1) has played a schedule typical of many power programs, one heavy on home games and light on road trips other than to play in neutral-site matchups. It's even more extreme for the Red Storm, who play many of their home games at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where they also participated in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

The only "road trip" was a mere 247 miles away, to Syracuse, where St. John's pulled out a big win. It doesn't make a longer journey until Jan. 18, the first time a plane ride will be needed when it visits DePaul in Chicago.

Later in the season the Red Storm will play games at Butler (Indianapolis), Creighton (Omaha), Xavier (Cincinnati) and Marquette (Milwaukee), locales that right now might seem as far away as Mars.

19. San Diego State Aztecs

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A consistent shooter

Watching San Diego State games this season has been painful for fans of offensive flow and wide-open basketball. While the Aztecs (7-3) remain one of the best defensive teams in the country, they're also among the worst-shooting units in the land and by far the worst among ranked teams.

In Wednesday's 71-62 overtime loss at Cincinnati, the Aztecs shot 39.3 percent overall and made just 5 of 25 three-pointers. That drops their season rates to 40 and 27 percent, respectively.

SDSU wasn't a particularly strong shooting team last year, but it had reliable scorer Xavier Thames there to make the big shots when necessary. There's no such guy this season, though junior forward Winston Shepard took a step in the right direction by making 6 of 10 from the field for 17 points at Cincinnati.

18. Miami (Florida) Hurricanes

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More impact transfers

Miami (9-1) ends an 11-day break from action on Friday when it hosts Eastern Kentucky, one of three games left before starting ACC play with a whopper of an opener at home against defending conference champion Virginia. That's plenty of time for coach Jim Larranaga to find another player who needed a change of scenery.

The Hurricanes' fast start to this season—after going 17-16 a year ago—has been directly related to the arrival of transfers Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez. The junior guards both sat out last season after transferring from Texas and Kansas State, respectively, and have made an instant impact with Miami.

McClellan is scoring a team-high 16.2 points per game with 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while Rodriguez has chipped in 14.2 points and 4.3 assists.

17. Maryland Terrapins

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On-time recovery for Dez Wells

The one-two backcourt duo of senior Dez Wells and freshman Melo Trimble looked like it was going to be an exciting one to watch during the pair's first five games together at Maryland (10-1). The hope is that can continue when Wells returns from a broken bone in right (shooting) wrist.

Wells, who went down in Maryland's 72-63 win over Iowa State in the CBE Classic final, had surgery and could be back in time for the Terrapins' Big Ten Conference debut Dec. 30 at Michigan State. He had been averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game.

Trimble, who had a career-best 31 in CBE semifinal win over Arizona State, has done his best to carry the load by averaging 15.8 points per game and shooting 48.2 percent from the field.

16. Washington Huskies

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A road map

Like many power-conference teams, Washington (9-0) loaded up on home games in nonconference play. The Huskies played in the Wooden Classic in Anaheim and face Oklahoma in Las Vegas on Saturday, but their only true "road" game was hardly that: facing Seattle in Key Arena, with as many of their own fans as that of the home team.

Road games have been a problem for Washington the last few seasons, going 3-8 last year and 23-31 away from home since 2009-10.

The Huskies have quality home wins over San Diego State and Eastern Washington, as well as over UTEP in Anaheim, but in order to end a two-year NCAA tournament drought they'll need to successfully navigate through a Pac-12 road slate that includes trips to Arizona, Utah, California and UCLA.

15. Oklahoma Sooners

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Glass cleaner

Oklahoma (7-2) is off to a solid start that's included quality wins over Butler and UCLA (in the Bahamas) before falling to Wisconsin in the Battle 4 Atlantis final, and coach Lon Turner might have his most talented team yet with the Sooners. That's especially true with the addition of Houston transfer, TaShawn Thomas, who became eligible just before the season.

But as helpful as the 6'8" transfer has been, he's not been able to help Oklahoma's team-wide issue with offensive rebounding. The Sooners collect only 28.7 percent of their missed shots, only grabbing eight offensive boards on 33 tries in Tuesday's 85-53 win over Oral Roberts.

No Oklahoma starter has an offensive rebound rate better than 6.2 percent, which could be problematic in Saturday's clash with unbeaten Washington at the MGM Showcase in Las Vegas.

14. Utah Utes

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A quick recovery for Jordan Loveridge

Having cemented itself as the second-best team in the Pac-12 by the way it's handled a tough nonconference slate so far, Utah (7-2) looks well on its way to making its first NCAA tournament since 2009. Just to be safe, the sooner junior forward Jordan Loveridge can return from knee surgery the better things would be for the Utes.

Loveridge has been out since late November after experiencing what was first described as "knee discomfort" but later was determined to be debris floating behind his kneecap. The procedure was expected to keep him out until at least the start of conference play, which begins Jan. 2.

The 6'6" Loveridge had shot 50 percent from three-point range and averaged 11.5 points in four games before the injury. Last season he scored 14.7 points per game along with seven rebounds.

13. Iowa State Cyclones

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A rim protector

Iowa State (8-1) has scorers all over the floor, as well as a bevy of ball-handlers and perimeter defenders. But when it comes to battling it out underneath the basket, particularly on the defensive end, the Cyclones are sorely lacking.

Thankfully, they're getting an early Christmas present in the form of 6'9" junior forward Jameel McKay. He becomes eligible Saturday after sitting out a year following his transfer from Marquette.

McKay was a two-time junior college All-American before going to Marquette, where he never played before leaving after a semester. His length will be huge for an Iowa State team that's gotten only 41 points and 27 rebounds from players taller than 6'8" so far.

Iowa State currently rebounds only 27.4 percent of its missed shots, among the 60 worst teams in the country.

12. Ohio State Buckeyes

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Resume help

Ohio State (9-1) notched a 42-point win Wednesday at home against North Carolina A&T, its sixth victory this season by 20 or more points. It was also the Buckeyes' seventh victory against teams with an RPI of 100 or lower, according to CBS Sports.

The only time it's played a team in the top 100, Dec. 2 against Louisville, Ohio State lost by nine points. Its strength of schedule prior to beating 1-11 NCA&T was 108, which won't be helpful if the Buckeyes struggle when Big Ten play begins in a few weeks.

The Buckeyes face North Carolina on Saturday, in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago, but that's their only remaining quality nonconference opponent.

11. Wichita State Shockers

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A post presence

The graduation of Cleanthony Early was expected to have an impact on Wichita State (8-1) this season, as he was the team's lone dependable option away from the perimeter. The 6'8" forward wasn't a monster on the board, only averaging 5.9 rebounds per game, but his ability to score in the paint kept the Shockers from being one-dimensional on offense.

That's pretty much what they've been so far this year, overly reliant on the play of guards Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet. That duo is providing about 40 percent of the team's scoring, compared to less than a third a year ago. The extra work has affected Van Vleet's play, as his shooting accuracy has plummeted from 48.4 to 39.6 percent overall and from 41.8 to 25.8 percent from three-point range.

The answer is on the team, in the form of senior Darius Carter. The 6'7" forward is averaging 12.7 points on 56.5 percent shooting, but he's lacked the aggressiveness that would get him to the line. Carter is attempting 3.4 foul shots per game, compared to 5.0 per contest that Early attempted last season.

10. Kansas Jayhawks

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Freshman orientation classes

Few schools had a more impressive incoming recruiting class than Kansas (8-1), which was ranked fourth by 247Sports thanks to a pair of 5-star prospects and two more with four stars. The modern college basketball game doesn't normally lend itself to having high-profile freshmen ease their way into action, yet the Jayhawks' quartet of newcomers have seen relatively limited playing time.

Power forward Cliff Alexander is the most active of Kansas' freshmen, averaging 19 minutes per game, while fellow shooting guard Kelly Oubre is playing 10.1 minutes, least of any active 5-star recruit from 2014. They have combined with guards Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to contribute 22.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and 41.7 percent shooting.

Graham's involvement was put on hold last week when it was announced he'd be out four weeks with a toe injury.

Departed frosh Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins averaged 28.3 points and 14 rebounds and shot 49.9 percent last season.

9. Texas Longhorns

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Karate lessons

Texas (9-1) has one of the most imposing frontcourts in the country, an area so strong for the Longhorns they're able to have freshman center Myles Turner (12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds per game) come of the bench. This group has helped the Longhorns to great scoring, rebounding and block numbers, as well as a defense that's held opponents to 30.6 percent shooting and 51.9 points per game.

One place Texas hasn't excelled, though, has been in the steals department. Even with six steals in Tuesday's 106-61 win over Lipscomb, the Longhorns are only swiping the ball on 6.8 percent of defensive possessions.

The Longhorns' size gives them a lot of advantages, but quick hands on defense isn't one of them. Junior forward Connor Lammert and sophomore guard Kendal Yancy, with seven apiece, are the team's steals leaders.

8. Gonzaga Bulldogs

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50-minute games

Early returns are making it seem like all the talk that this year's Gonzaga team is Mark Few's best yet is accurate, as the Bulldogs (10-1) are an overtime loss at unbeaten Arizona away from being perfect themselves. And with a remaining schedule that doesn't have any more currently ranked opponents, only a slip-up on the road in the West Coast Conference could get in the way of heading into the postseason on a long win streak.

The likely overabundance of comfortable wins coming up means Gonzaga can go deep into its bench and spread around the minutes to its bevy of talent. But there just might not be enough playing time to go around, not when the Bulldogs are already having eight guys average at least 17.4 minutes per game. Freshman Domantas Sabonis, averaging 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds on 75 percent shooting, plays only 19.5 minutes.

And that's not including junior guard Eric McClellan, a midseason transfer from Vanderbilt who becomes eligible for Saturday's game against Cal Poly. He averaged 14.3 points in 12 games last season for the Commodores, but he'll struggle to see the court with Gonzaga's many solid guards ahead of him.

7. Villanova Wildcats

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A search party to find Ryan Arcidiacono's shot

In most cases, the less a player shoots the better his percentage is. Ryan Arcidiacono has been the exact opposite this season, one of the few things that hasn't gone right for Villanova (10-0).

Though he's never been a lights-out three-point shooter, the junior guard at least could be relied on to make a few in a row and nail some big ones from deep in key situations. He made 32.7 percent as a freshman and 34.5 percent last season, averaging about 5.7 attempts per game.

This season he's taking only 3.3 per game and making them at a paltry 21.2 percent clip. This has also carried over to his two-point shooting, where he's down from 48 to 36.6 percent despite putting it up more from inside the arc.

6. Virginia Cavaliers

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Reliable reinforcements

Virginia (10-0) has used glove-like defense and a methodical-yet-efficient offensive pace to breeze relatively easily through its schedule to this point. Even the more challenging games, at Maryland and VCU in a four-day span earlier this month, proved not to be too difficult.

This doesn't figure to continue when ACC play begins, and by then the Cavaliers' lack of any spark off the bench could become an issue.

Last year Virginia was able to count on Anthony Gill and others to provide instant offense when they'd spell a starter. Gill is in the starting lineup now, second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, but the bench guys taking his place haven't replaced his production. No reserve is averaging more than 6.1 points per game, though Evan Nolte chipped in eight points in Thursday's 70-54 win over Cleveland State.

5. Wisconsin Badgers

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Bronson Koenig's 2013-14 shooting touch

Wisconsin (10-1) has looked in many ways very much like last year's team, the one that shot and swung its way to the Final Four. The Badgers returned four starters and inserted sophomore Nigel Hayes into the lineup to provide more muscle down low.

Hayes got the nod over fellow sophomore, Bronson Koenig, likely because Koenig's skill set as a shooter was too similar to the rest of Wisconsin's returners.

Maybe if Koenig could find his old form, that sameness wouldn't matter as much. But so far this season the 6'4" guard has seen his accuracy take a significant dip, from 44.3 percent to 37 percent overall and from 32.8 to 27.3 percent from three-point range. Koenig is playing 5.7 more minutes per game and taking nearly two more shots per game.

4. Louisville Cardinals

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Free-throw lessons

Louisville (9-0) has had only three games decided by 12 or fewer points, using its defense and aggressiveness in the paint to overwhelm opponents. But when a close game comes around, the Cardinals' woeful foul shooting could be their downfall.

At 60.4 percent, Louisville ranks 330th in the country at the free-throw line. Its only saving grace has been that its 255 attempts are tied for 20th-most, so even with 101 missed foul shots the Cardinals are still getting plenty of points at the line.

The foul shooting problems have affected almost everyone on the team, most notably leading scorer Montrezl Harrell (57.1 percent). Only Wayne Blackshear, at 78.8 percent, is making 70 percent or better.

3. Arizona Wildcats

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A green light for T.J. McConnell

He's only been with Arizona (11-0) for 49 games, but senior point guard T.J. McConnell sits as the Pac-12 Conference's active assists leader, with 269. He has a knack for finding the Wildcats' best offensive option on most possessions, as he's averaging 6.1 assists per game.

The only time McConnell does not get the ball to the right guy to take the shot is when he's that guy. Despite being a 47.7 percent shooter for his career, including 38.7 percent from three-point range, McConnell remains reluctant to call his own number. This season he's averaging a career-low 6.9 points per game, taking only 6.9 shots per game and making just 38.2 of his attempts.

Often wide-open, opponents aren't playing up on him to stop the shot because they know he's not likely to take it. If he put up a few more attempts, this would change defenses and might open up even more opportunities for his teammates.

2. Duke Blue Devils

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A foul-shot version of Pop-a-Shot for Jahlil Okafor

A month into his college career, Jahlil Okafor is about as close to a surefire NBA draft pick as any player in recent memory. His instincts on offense, amazing hands and strong defensive presence have reaped major benefits for Duke (10-0) and are making pro teams find new and creative ways to tank in hopes of selecting him next June.

Those same teams are just hoping that, between now and then, Okafor will do something about his one major weakness: free-throw shooting.

Okafor was 6 of 11 from the line in Thursday's 66-56 win over Connecticut, and that actually raised his season rate to 51.1 percent. He's only attempted 47 foul shots this season, but 22 have come in the past two games as teams are starting to recognize that Hack-a-Jahlil might be a smart strategy.

1. Kentucky Wildcats

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An alarm clock

For as dominant as Kentucky (11-0) has been this season, it might truly be the one team that doesn't have something it needs. Except, maybe, for a way to get over its slow starts against inferior opponents.

While the Wildcats have looked on point during the early minutes of its wins over high-profile foes Kansas, Texas and North Carolina, in their other eight contests they've have several sluggish performances in the opening 20 minutes. Their average halftime margin in those games is 16.5 points, with two by single digits and two in which they trailed at the half.

Kentucky trailed Columbia 10-0 and was down by two at halftime, ultimately winning 56-46.

With it looking more and more like there will be very few games where the Wildcats will be facing a true challenge this season, one place for improvement still lies in getting out of the gate quickly.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.