College Basketball: Top 10 Teams If Blake Griffin, Others Were Still in School
How scary would it be if Blake Griffin was dunking on everything that moved as a senior at Oklahoma? Or how about Derrick Rose discovering a three-point shot while still at Memphis?
With so many early entries, many forget that these guys, among others, would still be in college had they pulled a Kyle Singler and fully exhausted their eligibility as a collegiate before going on to the pros. Granted, something tells me Griffin nor Rose regret their decision to leave early.
Now, there are certain situations where if a player had decided to return to school, some recruits would not have chosen that school. Let's take a team that just missed the rankings to execute this example: Texas. If Avery Bradley did not leave for the NBA last year, I have a hard time believing Cory Joseph would have come to Texas and sit on the bench when he could have gone to Minnesota to play with his brother (who would still have been on the roster) and started immediately.
However, it's simply impossible to predict where guys like Tyreke Evans would have gone had Derrick Rose returned, so for the purpose of this list, wherever a guy played is where they would have ended up regardless of who was still there.
So, imagine if EVERY player who left early had decided to stay. Take a look and witness how scary good some of these teams would be. Those who are not currently on the team will be in BOLD.
Teams who just missed the cut include the aforementioned Texas, Baylor, Florida, Purdue, Wake Forest and North Carolina.
10. Duke Blue Devils
1 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Kyrie Irving, G Nolan Smith, G Seth Curry, F Kyle Singler, F Mason Plumlee
Bench: G Andre Dawkins, F Miles Plumlee, F Ryan Kelly
Not much change, right? In fact, Irving didn't leave early, he's simply hurt with an outside shot of returning by the end of the season.
What makes the Dukies crack the list is that they're ranked number one without what looked to be the best point guard in the country. They have enough talent right now to win it all, and adding a stud point guard would make them that much better. Had Irving never gotten hurt, I'm confident the Devils would still be undefeated.
9. Kansas State
2 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Jacob Pullen, G Rodney McGruder, F Bill Walker, F Michael Beasley, C Curtis Kelly
Bench: F Jamar Samuels, G Will Spradling, G Martavious Irving
Yes, by all accounts Beasley is an absolute nut case, but man was he a monster during his year at Kansas State. Envisioning him as a senior with Pullen and NBA player Bill Walker would form a trio of big-time scorers. Beasley couldn't be contained as a freshman, so imagine how big a force he would be as a senior with plenty of seasoning and Pullen developing into a big shot maker.
This year Pullen has had to carry almost all the load for the Wildcats with defenses completely focusing on him. Add in Walker and Beasley, and Pullen would have open shot after open shot available to him.
8. Kansas Jayhawks
3 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Josh Selby, G Xavier Henry, F Marcus Morris, F Markieff Morris, C Cole Aldrich
Bench: G Tyshawn Taylor, F Thomas Robinson, G Tyrel Reed
Just look at that frontcourt. Three starters over 6'9", and the Morris twins are more than capable of stepping outside and draining jumpers while Aldrich could shut down the paint.
Then there's the two guards that can drop 25 points at any moment. There would be no way for opposing defenses to shut down more than one of these guys, leaving wide open jumpers for one of these marksmen.
7. Pittsburgh Panthers
4 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Ashton Gibbs, G Brad Wanamaker, F Nasir Robinson, F DeJuan Blair, C Gary McGhee
Bench: F Gilbert Brown, G Travon Woodall, F Dante Taylor
I view the Panthers as one of the favorites to win it all this year, but their one subtle weakness is a lack of scoring down low.
Bringing the freight train that is DeJuan Blair back for his senior season would make this team more balanced than anyone. This team already out-rebounds its opponents by a wide margin. With Blair and McGhee, no team would be able to get a rebound period.
The duo of Blair down low and Gibbs up top gives the Panthers a pick-your-poison type combo. Then there's Wanamaker, who would be able to focus on whatever the team needs on a game-by-game basis.
6. UCLA Bruins
5 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Jrue Holiday, G Malcolm Lee, F Reeves Nelson, F Tyler Honeycutt, C Kevin Love
Bench: C Joshua Smith, G Lazeric Jones, F Brendan Lane
Here's where it gets tough. I'll admit that one could order these top six teams in any order and have a good argument for them.
Kevin Love is currently on track to become the first player in quite some time to average 20 points and 15 rebounds in a single season. Keep in mind this is the NBA we're talking about, so imagine what he would be doing if he were still in college with a point guard like Holiday who has blossomed into a solid NBA player in Philly. Thirty points and 20 rebounds would be easily attainable...yikes.
The Bruins have had a resurgence this season, looking like a solid tournament team, and adding an NBA All-Star and starter would make this team quite formidable. Also, head coach Ben Howland could trot out Love and Smith to form his version of the twin towers. Good luck stopping them from grabbing every rebound available.
5. Syracuse Orange
6 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Jonny Flynn, G Scoop Jardine, F Donte Greene, F Wesley Johnson, C Rick Jackson
Bench: G Brandon Triche, F C.J. Fair, F Kris Joseph
Syracuse has been inconsistent this season because of a lack of an elite scorer to carry the load.
Enter the trio of Donte Greene, Wesley Johnson and Jonny Flynn, three quality NBA players which can score the basketball with ease. Johnson was a stud last year as one of the best players in the country while Flynn and Greene carried the club a few years ago.
Bringing a very good player like Joseph off the bench would give the Orange a guy who could replace Greene and/or Johnson and fill their role.
The 2-3 zone would have some very long bodies in the back along with some quick-handed players up top. Good luck scoring against these guys.
4. Memphis Tigers
7 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Derrick Rose, G Tyreke Evans, G Will Barton, F Wesley Witherspoon, F Tarik Black
Bench: G Joe Jackson, G Antonio Barton, F Will Coleman
Quite possibly the scariest backcourt I've ever seen. The duo of Rose and Evans would be absolutely unstoppable offensively with Rose driving the lane with wreckless abandon and Evans calmly draining open shots Rose would create.
Then there's Will Barton and Joe Jackson, both of whom are talented in their own right and have brought Memphis back to relevance this season.
The only weakness would be their small frontcourt, but Rose and Evans would score so easily that the big men wouldn't even need to cross half court.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
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Starting Lineup: G Tommy Mason-Griffin, G Willy Warren, F Andrew Fitzgerald, F Blake Griffin, C Tiny Gallon
Bench: G Cade Davis, G Steven Pledger, F Cameron Clark
When I looked up photos of The Blake Show and saw him in a Sooner uniform, I shuddered. He would be the most unstoppable force in college basketball since Wilt Chamberlain. Not because he would be so much bigger, but his intensity and athleticism would put him on a completely different level.
The combination of Warren and Griffin took the Sooners on a solid run in the NCAA's when each were underclassmen. Give them another couple years and stick Tiny Gallon in the paint and Mason-Griffin running the offense, and Griffin wouldn't even need to be a one-man show. But, man, it would definitely look like it. He would probably average 10 dunks per game, with one going over the sun roof (I know it was a hood, but I think he could do it over something taller if he was still an amateur) of a car.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
9 of 10
Starting Lineup: G Evan Turner, G William Buford, G David Lighty, F Jared Sullinger, C Kosta Koufos
Bench: G Jon Diebler, F Dallas Lauderdale, F DeShaun Thomas
Put it this way, a first round pick, B.J. Mullens, wasn't good enough to make the list. This is the most versatile team on the list, as it could go small with inserting Diebler and taking out Koufos, or go massive with Buford sitting and Lauderdale coming in and forming one of the biggest frontcourts ever.
Koufos would benefit tremendously, as he would not have to work down low and could focus more on shooting mid-range jumpers while Sullinger commands the paint.
Defensively, Lighty and Lauderdale are two of the better defenders in the country right now, both of which would give opposing stars problems.
Oh, and there's this guy, Evan Turner, who kind of won the Player of the Year last season. Think he could benefit from a couple post presences? The Sullinger-Turner combination would be lethal, especially with sharpshooters like Buford and Diebler waiting to shoot from long range. Have fun stopping them from scoring.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
10 of 10
Starting Lineup: G John Wall, G Brandon Knight, F Terrence Jones, F Patrick Patterson, C DeMarcus Cousins
Bench: G Eric Bledsoe, G Doron Lamb, F Daniel Orton
If it weren't for Blake Griffin, Wall and Cousins would be at the top of the rookie class. Wall would be the quickest player in the country and could drive to the rim at will. Cousins would give the Wildcats the interior presence the current group is sorely lacking.
Patterson would provide senior leadership for a squad made up of underclassmen. He could focus on rebounding as he would probably be the fifth option. Not bad for a guy making contributions for the Houston Rockets.
Last year, the thing that killed Kentucky was the complete lack of outside shooting. With Knight and Lamb, they completely eradicate that problem. A guy like Jones is a matchup nightmare and with current NBA starter Bledsoe coming off the bench, they would have plenty of depth. They would be the most balanced team in the country and could get 20 points from anyone except maybe Orton.
Basically, every weakness last year's team had and this year's team currently possesses would be gone if these guys were combined. Possibly the only thing that could stop them would be egos, but with coach John Calipari, I don't see it being that big of an issue.
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