catmandoo
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posted 05-30-2019 04:51 PM
1. Michigan State Spartans
2018-19 Record: 32-7
2018-19 Finish: Final Four
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year (and likely preseason national Player of the Year) Cassius Winston is back, which means Tom Izzo returns his top four scorers from a team that came two wins away from a national championship. Included in that group is junior guard Joshua Langford, who missed all but 13 games this season because of a stress injury in his left foot. Gifted forward Aaron Henry showed glimpses of his potential late in the season, and has the potential to be a star as a sophomore. Izzo will also bring in a top 25 recruiting class headlined by 4-star point guard Rocket Watts.
2. Duke Blue Devils
2018-19 Record: 32-6
2018-19 Finish: Elite Eight
The big three are gone, but point guard Tre Jones will be back in Durham for his sophomore season. Some mixture from the group of Alex O’Connell, Jack White, Javin DeLaurier, Jordan Goldwire and Joey Baker will have to step up and flourish in expanded roles. Another elite recruiting class headlined by 5-star big man Vernon Carey will also help to make life after Zion more than tolerable for the Cameron Crazies.
3. Kentucky Wildcats
2018-19 Record: 30-7
2018-19 Finish: Elite Eight
Per usual, Kentucky is dealing with a decent amount of attrition from last year’s squad, which includes the loss of the team’s top four scorers from 2018-19. Even so, starting point guard Ashton Hagans is back, as is the frontcourt duo of EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards. With the annual top five recruiting class headed to Lexington, the Cats figure to once again be right in the thick of the national title hunt.
4. Villanova Wildcats
2018-19 Record: 26-10
2018-19 Finish: Second Round
Leading scorers Phil Booth and Eric Paschall are gone, but there’s still reason to believe Villanova will be better in 2019-20 than they were this past season. Collin Gillespie, Sadiq Bey, Jermaine Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Rountree should all take steps forward. Jay Wright will also welcome a top five recruiting class headlined by two five-star players — Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Bryan Antoine — who should be good enough to start from day one.
5 Kansas Jayhawks
2018-19 Record: 26-10
2018-19 Finish: Second Round
They occupied just about everyone’s top spot in these rankings a year ago and wound up having a season that didn’t come close to meeting those expectations. Now, this figures to be an extremely interesting offseason for a Kansas program that’s in something of a weird place. Even so, with Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike back, it seems more likely than not that the Jayhawks will return to form as a Final Four threat.
6. Louisville Cardinals
2018-19 Record: 20-14
2018-19 Finish: First Round
Chris Mack’s first season at Louisville was a success in the eyes of most. Year two figures to be even better thanks in large part to the last-minute decision of Jordan Nwora, the ACC’s Most Improved Player for 2018-19, to return for his junior season. Mack brings back all but one of his top eight scorers from last season, and also welcomes in a top 10 recruiting class headlined by 5-star McDonald’s All-American Samuell Williamson.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
2018-19 Record: 31-7
2018-19 Finish: National Runners-Up
As long as Chris Beard is back in Lubbock, a preseason top 10 spot feels justified. Beard loses four starters from his national runner-up team, including star Jarrett Culver. He’s countered that by bringing in a strong recruiting class and landing some key transfers, including Virginia Tech’s Chris Clarke and Stephen F. Austin’s T.J. Holyfield, who should be able to start from day one.
8. Virginia Cavaliers
2018-19 Record: 35-3
2018-19 Finish: National Champions
The reigning national champs lose their three leading scorers, but return key contributors Braxton Key, Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff and Kihei Clark. We’ve certainly seen Tony Bennett do more with less.
9. Maryland Terrapins
2018-19 Record: 23-11
2018-19 Finish: Second Round
Maryland came just seconds away from crashing the Sweet 16 last season. The return of both Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith should give the Terps ample opportunity to get that bad taste out of their mouth next March.
10. Memphis Tigers
Memphis, not Duke, built the nation’s most interesting freshmen superteam
2018-19 Record: 22-14.
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