Predicting the Best Duos in College Basketball in the 2015-16 Season

College basketball is the kind of sport where, if a player is good enough, he can carry his team pretty far.

But two is always better than one, especially in this situation, so teams that have a pair of players that work well together tend to make it further than those relying too much on a single standout.

Last year's top-performing teams included plenty of great duos, such as the Duke tandem of guard Tyus Jones and center Jahlil Okafor, Wisconsin's forward pairing of Sam Dekker and center Frank Kaminsky and Kentucky's big-man twosome of Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Who will be the best duos for the 2015-16 season? Some might consist of veteran teammates who have played together for a while, while others could pair a newcomer with an existing player. We might even see duos made entirely of first-year players, ones who naturally play off each other's abilities to form a dangerous tandem.

Here's our prediction of the 20 best duos for 2015-16, factoring in their projected impact and how their teams will fare because of that.

Jalan West and Zeek Woodley, Northwestern State

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Most of the best duos will come from the power conferences, but the mid-major level is where you'll find the most prolific returning scoring tandem in college basketball.

Guards Jalan West and Zeke Woodley combined to average 42.2 points per game for Northwestern State in 2014-15, helping the Demons lead the NCAA in scoring average at 84 PPG. That didn't translate into an NCAA tournament appearance—that last happened in 2013—but that didn't minimize what West and Woodley accomplished.

The 6'2" Woodley finished second in individual scoring at 22.0 per game, while the 5'10" West poured in 20 per night, while also leading the country in assists at 7.7 per contest.

West, who will be a senior this year, has averaged 6.4 assists per game for his career and will likely finish among the top 25 all time in that category. His 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio would rank him in the top 15 in NCAA history.

Henry Ellenson and Luke Fischer, Marquette

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Marquette tied for last in the Big East in coach Steve Wojciechowski's first season, but he and the Eagles were given a pass due to a thin roster that didn't have enough to compete. Expectations will be much higher in year two, especially with 5-star power forward Henry Ellenson's arrival.

The site 247Sports rated the 6'10" in-state product No. 9 overall in the 2015 recruiting class. He'll line up nicely alongside the only Marquette player from last season who was taller than 6'7" Luke Fischer.

Fischer, a 6'11", 245-pound center, transferred from Indiana but didn't become eligible until midway through last season. He averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while shooting 60.9 percent once getting into action with the Eagles. 

Ellenson was recently named to the Parade All-America Team, the first Marquette honoree since 2005. Fischer was a 2013 Parade selection prior to beginning his career at Indiana.

Antonio Blakeney and Ben Simmons, LSU

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LSU was one of those teams last season that seemed far better than the results it produced. Despite a wealth of talent, the Tigers lost 11 games and were out of the NCAA tournament on the first day.

Stars Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey have left for the NBA draft, but LSU could end up being far better in 2015-16 if its new pair of freshman superstars live up to their collective hype.

Forward Ben Simmons is the top-rated player in the 2015 class, per 247Sports, while guard Antonio Blakeney was No. 16 overall. Together they should be able to keep LSU in the SEC title hunt after finishing seven games behind Kentucky in 2014-15.

The 6'8" Simmons and 6'4" Blakeney have already showed how they can play together, combining for 21 points to help the East team win the McDonald's All American Game in April.

"It was Simmons and Blakeney that were the talk of the game with their instant connection that led to dazzling plays on offense and nonstop hustle on defense for the time they were on the court together," Josh Criswell of Fansided wrote.

Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton, Duke

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Despite losing 80 percent of the starting lineup from its national championship team, Duke will again be one of the most dangerous squads in the country. The ability to reload, rather than rebuild, thanks to another top-tier recruiting class certainly helps.

That latest six-man class includes four 5-star players, two of which are high-scoring guards who should keep the Blue Devils among the most productive offensive teams in the country.

Luke Kennard averaged nearly 40 points per game as a senior for Franklin High School in Ohio, finishing No. 2 on the state's career scoring list and a few spots ahead of LeBron James. Derryck Thornton, who reclassified from the 2016 class this spring, averaged 17 points with 6.2 assists for renowned prep power Findlay Prep.

That pair will try to replace the Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook tandem, guards who chipped in more than 27 points and eight assists per game for Duke during its title run.

Tyler Davis and D.J. Hogg, Texas A&M

Texas A&M hit a high point in 2007, when it reached the Sweet 16 under coach Bill Gillispie and a roster led by veteran in-state talent. Billy Kennedy is trying to get the Aggies back to that level, and he'll be trying to do so with an influx of local prospects led by high school teammates who already know each others' tendencies.

Power forward D.J. Hogg and center Tyler Davis starred for Plano West, which went 33-2 and won a state championship last season. Hogg hit an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer for the game-winning score, doing so with Kennedy in attendance and right after drawing a charge to set up the final possession.

Because of their history, look for the 6'8" Hogg and the 6'9", 269-pound Davis to dive right into their first college season with the poise and experience of seasoned veterans.

Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Florida State

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Florida State failed to make the NCAA tournament last season, but it knew the future was bright, thanks to the rise of freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes down the stretch. And with one of the highest-rated players ever to sign with the Seminoles set to join him in 2015-16, it's unlikely FSU will fail to reach the Big Dance for a second straight year.

Dwayne Bacon is rated as the No. 17 player in the 2015 recruiting class, per 247Sports, having spent his final high school season at renowned Oak Hill Academy to enhance his profile. The 6'6" Florida native is one of four 4-star players the Seminoles are bringing in, but he's the one who pairs best with their top returner in Rathan-Mayes.

As a freshman, the 6'4" Rathan-Mayes averaged a team-high 14.9 points per game, but that rate ballooned to 19.4 over his final eight games, a stretch that included two 30-point outbursts and saw him drop 30 in the final five minutes of a loss to Miami (Florida).

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Villanova

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Darrun Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston were the heart and soul of Villanova's back-to-back Big East titles, an inside-out combo that played so well together. While their graduation is a huge loss for the Wildcats, don't expect much (if any) of a dropoff because of what is expected of 'Nova's next great pairing.

Guard Josh Hart, who averaged 10.1 points and shot 46.4 percent from three-point range as a sophomore, will now become the main focus of Villanova's offense. That will come off his own creation, as well as through what is initiated by incoming recruit Jalen Brunson.

Brunson, a 6'1" prospect from Illinois, is a pure point guard who can score and distribute, and he'll enable the Wildcats to go with a three-guard lineup (including Ryan Arcidiacono) that will be among the fastest in the country.

"Under Wright, the Wildcats have been known for their annual allotment of talented perimeter guards," Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports wrote. ... "Brunson is next in a long line of big-time guards."

Diamond Stone and Melo Trimble, Maryland

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Maryland's performance last season in its first year in the Big Ten was a major surprise, and the key to the Terrapins' second-place finish was the Melo Trimble and Dez Wells backcourt. Wells has graduated, but Trimble returns for his sophomore year and will now look to a big-time recruit to form a new dynamic duo.

Diamond Stone, a 6'10" post from Milwaukee, will make it impossible for opponents to overload on Trimble on the outside or else risk leaving the sixth-rated player in the 2015 recruiting class underguarded on the inside. Stone committed to Maryland in March, just five days after it was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the third round.

Trimble was Maryland's leading scorer and assist man last season, and with a dominant force in the paint to pair up with, he could see those numbers increase based on how the Terrapins are guarded.

Dillon Brooks and Dylan Ennis, Oregon

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Dylan Ennis' junior year at Villanova was a strong one, a season that saw him make his first real impact since transferring from Rice and then missing time because of injury. But Ennis wanted more than what he had with the Wildcats, he opted to leave for another program where he could be a true point guard and one that could also be a scorer.

As it just so happens, Oregon had an opening for such a player after Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young graduated. And by picking the Ducks, Ennis gets paired with a rising star in Dillon Brooks who only scratched the surface of what he's capable of last season.

As a freshman, the 6'5" freshman averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. Those numbers could have been better had Young not been such a dynamic offensive weapon, and now paired with Ennis—who had 9.9 points and 3.6 assists last season—he'll become more of a factor.

Kadeem Allen and Allonzo Trier, Arizona

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For the past two years, T.J. McConnell has helped orchestrate Arizona's offense and found any of a number of wing or interior weapons to get the ball to. The Wildcats' scoring punch figures to be far more perimeter-oriented this season, though, with the potential to have two of the most prolific guards in the Pac-12 dominating the offense.

Incoming freshman Allonzo Trier arrives with one of the biggest internal green lights you'll see out of a first-year player, cultivated during his time at Findlay Prep and on the all-star circuit where he showed there was no shot he wasn't afraid to take. That's a similar approach that Kadeem Allen had en route to being named the NJCAA junior-college player of the year in 2013-14 at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Allen redshirted at Arizona last season because of the amount of depth the Wildcats had. But with McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley and Stanley Johnson all leaving the program, the high-energy scorer is ready to get unleashed alongside Trier.

Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, California

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One of the biggest winners in the 2015 recruiting cycle was California and coach Cuonzo Martin, who managed to convince a group of prospects to choose the Golden Bears over other power programs and by doing so created a new contender in the Pac-12 for 2015-16.

That is going to put a lot of pressure on the biggest names in that class, but Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb had to figure this was going to be the case and should be more than prepared for the expectations. It helps they've played with and against together during the summer on various all-star and traveling teams.

"They've had a genuine passion for each other, and not to say it out loud, but playing with each other," Martin said, per Joshua Newman of Zagsblog.com. "Those guys had a previous relationship through summer basketball, USA Basketball."

Isaiah Briscoe and Tyler Ulis, Kentucky

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Anyone who's feeling bad for Kentucky because it lost seven players early to the NBA draft should stop right there, because the Wildcats will be just fine. Yes, they missed on a number of high-profile 2015 recruits, but they're still bringing in a good new group, and they'll combine with those who stuck around to keep Kentucky in the mix for the SEC and beyond.

And though there will still be a good group operating in the paint, the balance of power is going to shift to the perimeter with sophomore Tyler Ulis and incoming freshman Isaiah Briscoe set to become one of the scariest pairs in the country.

Ulis was fun to watch last year as a 5'9" freshman in Kentucky's platoon system, but now he gets to help run the show alongside Briscoe, a high-scoring 6'3½" guard from New Jersey who was rated No. 12 overall in the 2015 recruiting class. He chose Kentucky because of how coach John Calipari has been able to produce NBA guards, and he will take turns with Ulis being either the facilitator or the producer.

Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince, Baylor

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Had Baylor not fell apart in the final minutes of its opening-round loss to Georgia State during the NCAA tournament, Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince likely would have headed into their senior years as one of the most-hyped duos in the country. Instead, they're somehow underrated, at least from an attention standpoint.

Opponents in the Big 12 are well aware of what Gathers—a 6'8" monster who was fourth in Division I in rebounding at 11.6 per game—and 6'7" win Prince are capable of doing. They combined to make Baylor one of the most physical teams in the country, and with the sour taste of their early tourney exit still in their minds they could be a very dangerous tandem this season.

Cheick Diallo and Perry Ellis, Kansas

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Kansas had one of the most highly anticipated young duos in college basketball last season in freshmen Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander, but the pair never lived up to expectations. Oubre had a lot of great games, but Alexander struggled to show consistency and ended up missing the tail end of the season because of eligibility issues.

This year, the Jayhawks' best pairing will match a new player with a veteran in hopes of blending an established contributor with the next big thing in Lawrence.

Freshman Cheick Diallo, one of the biggest risers late in the 2015 recruiting cycle, could end up being everything Kansas hoped Alexander would be and much more. The 6'9" power forward was MVP of a pair of all-star games this spring, showing a balance of scoring, rebounding and defense that should pair nicely with the consistent play that Perry Ellis has shown in his two seasons with the Jayhawks.

Ellis led Kansas in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounds (7.0) last season.

Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga

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While height is a key element in college basketball, it doesn't always tell the whole story of what kind of a player someone is. Take, for instance, Gonzaga's two-headed monster of 6'10' forwards Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer, who despite that similarity couldn't be more different in their playing styles and contributions to the Bulldogs.

Wiltjer, a former Kentucky recruit who made his debut for Gonzaga in 2014-15, led the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game. He shot 54 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from outside, with his 68 three-pointers second-most on the team.

Sabonis, the son of Lithuanian NBA great Arvydas Sabonis, averaged 9.7 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds while shooting 66.8 percent, all from close to the basket. Had he attempted more shots—he only took 5.7 per contest—he'd had finished second in the nation and ahead of Duke star Jahlil Okafor.

Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller, Connecticut

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Connecticut went from national champion to first-round NIT loser, a feat that it shares with Kentucky from a few seasons earlier. The teams took different approaches to get back to their lofty perches, as Kentucky brought in another star-studded class of high school stars, while Connecticut's Kevin Ollie turned to the transfer wire.

The addition of guard Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall) and forward Shonn Miller (Colgate) made the Huskies the "winner of the grad transfer sweepstakes this year," per ESPN's Jeff Goodman.

Gibbs led Seton Hall in scoring at 16.3 points per game last season, but opted to finish his career somewhere with less drama after an up-and-down 2014-15 year that included him getting suspended for throwing a punch in a loss to Villanova. Miller averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds for Cornell.

Put them together and they have a chance to give Connecticut its first offense that isn't dominated by one scorer in several years.

Isaiah Cousins and Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

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It's an annual guessing game to think of which Big 12 teams have a chance to unseat Kansas atop the standings, despite the Jayhawks winning at least a share of the past 11 regular-season titles. The list of potential topplers is deep again this year, with Oklahoma becoming even more of a candidate to get the job done after Buddy Hield chose to remain in college.

By getting back the 6'4" guard for his senior year, the Sooners will be a legitimate league and national title contender, especially with Hield having a chance to pair up with Isaiah Cousins for another season. In 2014-15, that duo combined to score 29.1 points per game, while making 156 three-pointers.

Hield noted that he and his teammates "have some unfinished business," (h/t John Walker of the Oklahoma Daily) after tying for second place in the Big 12 and then getting booted from the NCAA tournament by Michigan State in the Sweet 16.

Monte Morris and Georges Niang, Iowa State

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Though an official announcement hasn't been made, all signs indicate Iowa State is going to lose coach Fred Hoiberg to the NBA's Chicago Bulls. If he were to magically reverse direction and return to the Cyclones, a key factor in that decision would be the wealth of talent he has coming back.

The two players who stand out more than others are guard Monte Morris and forward Georges Niang, who over the past two seasons have become one of the most efficient pairings in the country. Morris is one of the best ball-handlers in the game, while Niang has a skill set that completely negates the fact he can't really jump.

In 2014-15 the 6'8" Niang averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a junior, shooting 46.1 percent overall and 40 percent from three-point range. The 6'2" Morris averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 assists, posting a 4.63-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio that was only slightly below his record-setting 4.79-to-1 rate from his freshman year in 2013-14.

Assuming Hoiberg doesn't return, whoever takes over Iowa State will be inherited a superb team that has some veteran leaders to lean on.

Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige, North Carolina

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Heading into the 2014-15 season, Marcus Paige had so much hype lumped on him that it seemed almost inevitable that he'd struggle to live up to those raised expectations. The 6'1" guard saw his number dip dramatically, not just because he had more balance around him but also because his own performance suffered.

Yet at the same time, Brice Johnson emerged as a strong second option that UNC had been missing beforehand. Though the Tar Heels didn't get past the Sweet 16, they did show that, with a nearly intact lineup returning, they will be one of the top contenders for the national title.

For that to happen, it will require Paige to return to the form he had as a sophomore in 2013-14, while Johnson continues to build off his breakout junior campaign last season.

If UNC can get Paige—who had 1,416 career points and 225 career three-pointers—and Johnson (who has shot 56.6 percent each of the past two seasons) both playing at a high level, it will indeed be in the hunt for a championship.

Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, Wichita State

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If there was any wonder why Gregg Marshall showed little interest in leaving Wichita State to take over programs in the Big 12 or SEC, one needs only to look at the senior class he has set to return for this season.

Specifically, the guard tandem of Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, players whom Marshall brought to Wichita with the intent of turning the Shockers into a powerhouse and who have delivered in spades.

Since the 6'4" Baker and 6'0" VanVleet arrived, Wichita has gone 95-15 with a Final Four appearance, an unbeaten regular season and the envy of every other mid-major school looking to make the jump to the big time. The Shockers lost to Notre Dame in this year's Sweet 16, reaching 30 wins for the third year in a row, and both Baker and VanVleet could have parlayed that into the NBA draft.

While each filed paperwork to have his  draft status evaluated, per Sports Illustrated, each decided another year working with Marshall (and each other) was for the best. And in doing so, they ensured the Shockers would have one of the best one-two punches in the country.

Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports, unless noted otherwise.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.