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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 05-08-2020, 07:04 PM:

4. Virginia Cavaliers
Previous: 8

If there was a time to get coach Tony Bennett while he was down, it was last season, from early November to about mid-January. That party is over, and it was over for the final six weeks last season, when the Cavaliers went 11-1 down the stretch with wins over Duke, Florida State and Louisville, ultimately finishing just one game from an ACC regular-season title. Bennett does lose Braxton Key and Mamadi Diakite from that group, but the offense should be far more dynamic with Marquette transfer Sam Hauser (14.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG) and ESPN 100 scorer Jabri Abdur-Rahim entering the fold. Jay Huff should take the next step up front, and Kihei Clark returns at the point guard spot. Another key will be Tomas Woldetensae continuing his prolific shooting. He had that reputation coming out of junior college, and although he went through some inconsistent stretches, he made better than 38% of his 3s in ACC play. Throw in a defense that has ranked in the top seven in adjusted defensive efficiency each of the past seven seasons (although it could take some time to jell, as Hauser and Abdur-Rahim weren't known for their defensive prowess), and Virginia will be a national threat once again.

15. Kentucky Wildcats
Previous: 5

Kentucky sees the biggest drop since the first iteration of the rankings. We said at the time the Wildcats had the most up in the air in terms of personnel decisions, and, well, it didn't go exactly as coach John Calipari had hoped. When the dust finally settled, only Keion Brooks Jr. was left standing from a year ago. Tyrese Maxey, Ashton Hagans, Nick Richards and Immanuel Quickley are all going pro, while EJ Montgomery also entered the NBA draft process, Kahlil Whitney left school in January, Johnny Juzang transferred to UCLA and Nate Sestina used up his eligibility. That leaves Brooks, who averaged 4.5 points. Don't feel too sorry for Calipari, though. He brings in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, led by five-star perimeter players B.J. Boston, Terrence Clarke and Devin Askew. He also added some experience in Creighton grad transfer Davion Mintz and has Kentucky squarely in the mix for Purdue grad transfer Matt Haarms. It's going to take time, but Kentucky will be an SEC title contender when all is said and done.

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[ 05-08-2020, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 05-09-2020, 03:21 PM:

The addition of Sarr will change this again. If we add another big, yet again.

Stupid idea to make predictions now.