Preseason Hoops Top 25 - Richmond at #24

[jessej]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/college-basketball-preseason-top-25-120004695.htm

Today, we are unveiling the NBC Sports college basketball preseason top 25.

As always, there are plenty of caveats here.

For starters, it is still March. Typically, when we publish the college basketball preseason top 25, it’s in April, after the national title game. By that point we usually have a better sense of who is leaving for the NBA, who is returning to school and where the best freshmen (and top transfer) will be playing.

That’s not the case this year.

Preseason Top 25 | Coaching Carousel | Early Entry Tracker
There are a handful of names that are obviously leaving school — Cole Anthony, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman — but given that this year’s draft class is so weak combined with the fact that the world is social distancing and there may not be any workouts during the predraft process is throwing everything for a loop.

It’s hard to know at this point.

Which is why every college basketball preseason top 25 published right now is going to have plenty of assumptions, projections and moving parts.

So with that in mind, here is the current NBC Sports college basketball preseason top 25:

1. VILLANOVA

• GONE: None
  
  
• COMING BACK: Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Jermaine Samuels, Bryan Antoine, Cole Swider, Brandon Slater, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: Saddiq Bey, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
  
  
• NEW FACES: Caleb Daniels
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, Bryan Antoine, Jermaine Samuels, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
  

There’s a chance, albeit a fairly slim one, that Villanova can return everyone from a team that won a share of the Big East regular season title last season while adding Tulane transfer Caleb Daniels (16.9 ppg) and a healthy Bryan Antoine. There is enough talent on this roster that I think they are the clear No. 1 team in the country if everyone returns. And while Saddiq Bey is their best player, I think he is not only more likely to declare for the draft than Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, but I also think that he will be easier to replace. Villanova has a roster full of talented wings and perimeter weapons. Bey is the best of the bunch, but having to force Caleb Daniels or Bryan Antoine over him is a better option than having to play Dhamir Cosby-Rountree or Eric Dixon instead of JRE.

RELATED: College basketball preseason top 25 (link)
2. GONZAGA

• GONE: Admon Gilder, Ryan Wooldridge, Killian Tillie
  
  
• COMING BACK: Corey Kispert, Drew Timme, Joel Ayayi, Anton Watson, Martynas Arlauskas, Pavel Zakharov
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: Filip Petrusev, Jalen Suggs
  
  
• NEW FACES: Oumar Ballo, Julian Strawther, Dominick Harris
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, Corey Kispert, Drew Timme, Filip Petrusev
  

The Zags should once again be a powerhouse next season, but they are in the unique position of waiting on a freshman to decide if he is going to go pro. The player in question is Jalen Suggs, who would be a perfect fit next to Joel Ayayi and Corey Kispert on Gonzaga’s perimeter. As much as I like Ayayi as a player, I’m not sure he’s the guy to be a full-time point guard on a team competing for a national title. That spot is really the only question mark if Suggs opts to skip college and play overseas, because Gonzaga’s frontcourt is going to be absolutely loaded, especially if Filip Petrusev returns, because Drew Timme and Oumar Ballo both have WCC Player of the Year upside.

3. BAYLOR

• GONE: Freddie Gillespie, Devonte Bandoo
  
  
• COMING BACK: Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague, Mark Vital, Tristan Clark, Matthew Mayer, Jordan Turner, Flo Thamba
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: Jared Butler
  
  
• NEW FACES: Adam Flagler, L.J. Cryer, Dain Dainja, Zach Loveday, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, Mark Vital, Tristan Clark
  

The Bears should get all three of their guards back, assuming Jared Butler does not go pro, and with Mark Vital slated to return, they’ll once again have two of the best defenders in college basketball on the roster (Davion Mitchell). They’re coming off of a 26-4 season, and there are plenty of bench options at Scott Drew’s disposal — Matthew Mayer, Jordan Turner, Adam Flagler — but the big question is going to be at the five. Which Tristan Clark are we going to get next season?

4. CREIGHTON

• GONE: Kelvin Jones
  
  
• COMING BACK: Mitchell Ballock, Damien Jefferson, Christian Bishop, Denzel Mahoney, Davion Mintz, Jacob Epperson
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: Ty-Shon Alexander, Marcus Zegarowski
  
  
• NEW FACES: Antwaan Jones, Ryan Kalkbrenner
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitchell Ballock, Damien Jefferson, Christian Bishop
  

Creighton’s ranking depends on what their talented backcourt of Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski decide to do. If they come back to school, the Bluejays will once again have one of college basketball’s most dangerous perimeters. The other question is going to be what happens at the five spot. Christian Bishop was adequate in his minutes last season, and with four-star recruit Ryan Kalkbrenner and a (hopefully) healthy Jacob Epperson in the mix, there will be options to answer that question.

5. VIRGINIA

• GONE: Mamadi Diakite, Braxton Key
  
  
• COMING BACK: Jay Huff, Kihei Clark, Casey Morsell, Tomas Woldetensae, Kody Stattman, Justin McCoy
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: None
  
  
• NEW FACES: Sam Hauser, Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Carson McCorkle, Reece Beekman
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Kihei Clark, Casey Morsell, Tomas Woldetensae, Sam Hauser, Jay Huff
  

The Cavaliers should be much better offensively with Sam Hauser replacing Mamadi Diakite in the starting lineup, and while Diakite is a significantly better defender than Hauser, it’s hard to imagine Virginia ever being a bad defensive team, especially when Hauser has had a year to learn the system. Kihei Clark and Jay Huff are both back, and I would expect Casey Morsell to take a step forward this season. Throw in a strong freshman class, and UVA should be competing for an ACC title once again.

24. RICHMOND

• GONE: None
  
  
• COMING BACK: Jacob Gilyard, Grant Golden, Blake Francis, Nick Sherod, Nathan Cayo, Andre Gustavson, Jake Wojcik, Tyler Burton
  
  
• WAIT AND SEE: None
  
  
• NEW FACES: Isaiah Wilson
  
  
• PROJECTED STARTERS: Jacob Gilyard, Blake Francis, Nick Sherod, Nathan Cayo, Grant Golden
  

Chris Mooney did not have a senior on the roster of a team that finished 24-7 overall and 14-4 in the Atlantic 10. With Obi Toppin gone, the Spiders will likely be the class of the conference heading into next season. Jacob Gilyard has a chance to be Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.

 

[Jack Strop]

Aren't the Richmond faithful glad that their effort to fire Mooney resulted in a preseason Top-25 ranking? Hmmmm...