More from CBT LATEST PODCAST | LATEST POLLS | #POSTERIZED
Getty Images

College Basketball Preseason Top 25

By Rob DausterJun 20, 2018, 9:00 AM EDT
11 Comments

More College Hoops

From Spokane to Serbia, Nigel Williams-Goss sees NBA dreams take a detour 2018 NBA Draft Second Round Steals Michael Porter Jr. says info on hip injury ‘got exaggerated a lot’

The college basketball season has come and gone, meaning that it is officially time for us to start looking forward to next year. 

And what better way is there to do that than by publishing a Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25!

DISCLAIMER: We don’t know about all of the NBA Draft decisions yet. Not even close. So if you see a * next to player’s name, it is because we are taking a guess — some more educated than others — on what he is going to be doing this spring.

Drop us a line here or @CBTonNBC if you see any names missing.

Here is the top 25:

1. KANSAS JAYHAWKS

  • Who’s gone: Devonte’ Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk, Malik Newman
  • Who do they add: Dedric Lawson, K.J. Lawson, Charlie Moore, Quentin Grimes, Devon Dotson, David McCormack
  • Projected starting lineup: Charlie Moore, Marcus Garrett, Quentin Grimes, Dedric Lawson, Udoka Azubuike

Losing Graham is a major, major blow for this program, but they had as much talent sitting out this season as any program in college basketball. Cal transfer Charlie Moore should be able to step in and handle the point guard duties – if that role isn’t taken over by Devon Dotson – while Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson will give Bill Self actual power forwards, something he has been yearning for the last two years. This team is talented, they are old, they are well coached and they have a functional point guard on their roster. There is a lot to like about the Jayhawks heading into next year.

2. GONZAGA BULLDOGS

  • Who’s gone: Silas Melson, Johnathan Williams III
  • Who do they add: Brandon Clarke, Joel Ayayi, Filip Petrušev, Greg Foster Jr.
  • Projected starting lineup: Josh Perkins, Zach Norvell Jr., Corey Kispert, Rui Hachimura, Killian Tillie

I’m not fully convinced that I love Perkins as a point guard, but with Norvell and Kispert a year older and Hachimura and Tillie on the front line, the Zags have a chance to be really, really good once again. Throw in the transfer addition of Clarke and a couple more talented foreigners — Ayayi and Petrušev — and this is just about what you would expect for Gonzaga.

3. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

  • Who’s gone: Kevin Knox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones
  • Who do they add: Immanuel Quickley, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro, E.J. Montgomery, Ashton Hagans
  • Projected starting lineup: Immanuel Quickly, Ashton Hagans, Keldon Johnson, P.J. Washington, Reid Travis

As always, there is quite a bit of turnover on the Kentucky roster. Six key pieces from last year are gone, while the Wildcats bring in yet another loaded recruiting class. I think the combination of incoming backcourt talent and the remaining front court veterans is going to be a fun combination for Kentucky fans to watch, even if they aren’t going to be able to shoot for another year. The question is going to be whether or not these freshmen can all come together, because there is only one player on the roster that has more than one year of college experience.

4. DUKE BLUE DEVILS

  • Who’s gone: Grayson Allen, Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Trevon Duval, Gary Trent Jr.
  • Who do they add: Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, Joey Baker
  • Projected starting lineup: Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, Javin DeLaurier

The Blue Devils are a team that has a lot left to figure out. Bagley, Trent, Duval and Carter are all following Allen out the door, and it appears as if Bolden will be back for another season. I’m still torn on how this Duke team — which will likely end up starting four freshmen — will play. That has not always been the path to success, but the talent here is impossible to ignore. The big question with this group is going to be how well the pieces gel together and whether or not there is enough shooting (and willing defenders) to allow this group to play the way teams like Villanova, Golden State and Boston play. I explain that line of thinking more here.

5. VILLANOVA WILDCATS

  • Who’s gone: Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman
  • Who do they add: Jahvon Quinerly, Cole Swider, Brandon Slater, Joe Cremo
  • Projected starting lineup: Jahvon Quinerly, Phil Booth, Jermaine Samuels, Eric Paschall, Cole Swider

Villanova did not fair well at the NBA early entry deadline, losing a pair of potential first round picks in DiVincenzo, who was the MOP of the Final Four and Spellman. As we noted here, Spellman is the piece that brings it all together for the Wildcats. I’m still willing to ride with the Wildcats, as I think they are more experienced than they will get credit for and because Jay Wright’s teams always have people ready to step in and contribute immediately. Expect a breakout year from Jermaine Samuels.

6. NEVADA WOLF PACK

  • Who’s gone: Kendell Stephens, Hallice Cooke
  • Who do they add: Tre’Shawn Thurman, Corey Henson, Jazz Johnson, Nisre Zouzoua, Kwame Hymes, Vince Lee, Trey Porter, Ehab Amin, Jordan Brown
  • Projected starting lineup: Caleb Martin, Cody Martin, Jordan Caroline, Trey Porter, Jordan Brown

Getting the Martin twins back is massive. Drew’s recovery from a torn achilles is also something that could be a problem. But this was a wildly talented team that came a point away from the Elite Eight despite losing their starting point guard and having their best player deal with a foot injury the last two months of the season. This is the best Nevada team since Kawhi and Jimmer were running roughshod over the league.

7. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

  • Who’s gone: James Daniel III
  • Who do they add: No one
  • Projected starting lineup: Lamonte’ Turner, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, Admiral Schofield, Grant Williams

Tennessee won the SEC last season and returns literally everyone from that team outside of Daniel, who came off the bench. Williams was the SEC Player of the Year last year, and Rick Barnes has plenty of perimeter talent and switchable pieces at his disposal. There are also some young, talented pieces on this roster — Bone, Bowden, Yves Pons, Kyle Alexander — that still have room to develop. I don’t think it’s crazy to think Tennessee could end up making a run at a No. 1 seed.

(Eric Espada/Getty Images)

8. VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

  • Who’s gone: Devon Hall, Isaiah Wilkins, Nigel Johnson
  • Who do they add: Kody Stattmann, Kihei Clark, Francisco Caffaro
  • Projected starting lineup: Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, Deandre Hunter, Mamadi Diakite, Jack Salt

I’ll never doubt Virginia again (unless they are a No. 1 seed … kidding!), even when they are losing their best guard and their best defender. Hunter is ready to step up and be the star for this team, and I think Mamadi Diakite will have a chance to be an elite defensive presence. If there is a real concern here, it’s depth, but I trust Tony Bennett will be able to figure something out. Always trust in Tony.

9. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

  • Who’s gone: No one
  • Who do they add: Shaun Williams
  • Projected starting lineup: Kamau Stokes, Barry Brown, Carter Diarra, Xavier Sneed, Dean Wade

This will probably be the highest that you see the Wildcats ranked heading into the season, but I really like this group. They have a crop of tough-minded, playmaking guards that can really get out and defend, and their best player might actually be a guy that the public at-large hasn’t really seen play in Wade. Bruce Weber is going to silence the haters!

(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

10. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

  • Who’s gone: Joel Berry III, Theo Pinson, Jalek Felton
  • Who do they add: Coby White, Nassir Little, Rechon Black
  • Projected starting lineup: Coby White, Kenny Williams, Nassir Little, Cam Johnson, Luke Maye

Where you rank UNC in the preseason is going to depend entirely on two things: How good you think their freshmen — White and Little — are going to be, and what kind of development you expect out of Brandon Huffman, Sterling Manley and Garrison Brooks. Will there be a returning player in college basketball next season that is better than Luke Maye?

11. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

  • Who’s gone: Devin Wilson, Justin Bibbs
  • Who do they add: Jon Kabongo, Landers Nolley II, Jarren McAllister
  • Projected starting lineup: Justin Robinson, Ahmed Hill, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Chris Clarke, Kerry Blackshear

The Hokies bring back seven of their top eight players, but the key for this team is going to be the development of their rising sophomore class: Alexander-Walker, Wabissa Bede, P.J. Horne. We know how good Clarke, Robinson and Blackshear are, but if those three take a step forward we could be looking at a top ten team.

12. AUBURN TIGERS

  • Who’s gone: Davion Mitchell, Mustapha Heron, DeSean Murray
  • Who do they add: Samir Doughty
  • Projected starting lineup: Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Danjel Purifoy, Anfernee McLemore, Austin Wiley

Auburn will lose Heron, who might have been their best player last season, but return everyone else from a team that won the SEC. Their guards are just so talented, and that was without Purifoy and Doughty. The health of McLemore, who suffered a dreadful ankle injury in February, will be critical, as well as the development of Chuma Okeke. But we saw what Pearl could do with these pieces last season, and that was with the FBI investigation hanging over their head.

13. MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

  • Who’s gone: Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson, Ben Carter, Gavin Schilling, Tum Tum Nairn
  • Who do they add: Foster Loyer, Aaron Henry, Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr., Thomas Kithier
  • Projected starting lineup: Cassius Winston, Matt McQuaid, Josh Langford, Nick Ward, Xavier Tillman

I can’t help but look at this roster and see all the same issues that they had this past season, only without their two most talented players. Turnovers. Lack of star power. Some defensive issues. Winston has a chance to be a first-team all-Big Ten player, but Langford and Ward are going to have to live up to their potential. It feels like this group has nice pieces, but that those pieces doesn’t necessarily fit together. That said, who is better?

14. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

  • Who’s gone: Braian Angola, C.J. Walker, Brandon Allen
  • Who do they add: Devin Vassell
  • Projected starting lineup: Trent Forrest, M.J. Walker, Terance Mann, Mfiondu Kabengele, Phil Cofer

I really like this group in theory. They have a whole bunch of athletic, switchable wings that can score. Mann, Walker and Kabengele returning would be key, as would finding another point guard on the transfer market to replace C.J. Walker, who left the program. Getting Cofer back for a fifth-year is enormous.

15. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

  • Who’s gone: No one
  • Who do they add: Reggie Perry, Robert Woodard, Jethro Tshisumpa Mbiya, D.J. Stewart
  • Projected starting lineup: Lamar Peters, Nick Weatherspoon, Quinndary Weatherspoon, Aric Holman, Abdul Ado

I am not totally sold on Ben Howland getting this thing going at Mississippi State, but this will be his most talented team. The Weatherspoon brothers are both going to be good players, Peters still intrigues some NBA teams and Holman should fill a role. Reggie Perry should be a nice addition and an impact player as well.

16. OREGON DUCKS

  • Who’s gone: Elijah Brown, MiKyle McIntosh, Troy Brown
  • Who do they add: Bol Bol, Louis King, Miles Norris, Will Richardson
  • Projected starting lineup: Payton Pritchard, Louis King, Paul White, Kenny Wooten, Bol Bol

For my money, Oregon’s season hung on whether or not Brown returned to school, and Ihe’s gone. Bol and King are both potential one-and-done players, and Wooten is an elite defensive prospect, but I’m in a wait and see mode with them. Personally, I’m not on the Bol Bol bandwagon, but I understand why he is, in theory, a high-level prospect.

(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

17. UCLA BRUINS

  • Who’s gone: Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh, G.G. Goloman
  • Who do they add: Tyger Campbell, Shareef O’Neal, Moses Brown, Kenny Nwuba, David Singleton III, Jules Bernard, Cody Riley, Jalen Hill
  • Projected starting lineup: Jaylen Hands, Prince Ali, Kris Wilkes, Cody Riley, Moses Brown

This is a make or break year for Steve Alford. Odds seem pretty good that he’ll have every underclassmen except Aaron Holiday back, meaning that back-to-back top five-ish recruiting classes will be on campus. It’s time for the Bruins to put up or shut up, and I think they’ll be right there as a favorite to win the Pac-12.

18. TCU HORNED FROGS

  • Who’s gone: Kenrich Williams, Vlad Brodziansky, Ahmed Hamdy
  • Who do they add: Kendric Davis, Kaden Archie, Angus McWilliam, Yuat Alok, Russel Barlow Jr.
  • Projected starting lineup: Alex Robinson, Jaylen Fisher, Desmond Bane, Kouat Noi, Kevin Samuel

Losing Williams and Brodziansky is going to be a blow, but there are still plenty of pieces. Bane and Noi should be in line for breakout seasons, and Jamie Dixon going small-ball with a two-point guard look should be fun to watch.

19. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

  • Who’s gone: Anas Mahmoud, Quentin Snider, Ray Spalding, Deng Adel
  • Who do they add: Chris Mack, Steve Enoch, Christian Cunningham
  • Projected starting lineup: Darius Perry, Dwayne Sutton, V.J. King, Steve Enoch, Malik Williams

How good of a coach do you think that Mack is? Because that is what this really comes down to. Even though the Cardinals lose Adel along with Spalding to the draft, there is enough talent on this roster to make an NCAA tournament — I think the evidence of that is that if the Cardinals hadn’t lost a fluke game to Virginia they would have been in the tournament last season. And all due respect to David Padgett, Mack is a better coach than he is right now.

20. WEST VIRGINIA

  • Who’s gone: Jevon Carter, Daxter Miles, D’Angelo Hunter
  • Who do they add: Jordan McCabe, Derek Culver, Trey Doomes, Andrew Gordon
  • Projected starting lineup: Beetle Bolden, Brandon Knapper, Lamont West, Esa Ahmad, Sagaba Konate

West Virginia has survived losing program guys in past seasons, but Carter and Miles were responsible for turning West Virginia into Press Virginia. Calling them program guys is a disservice. So we’ll see how this plays out. At this point, I’m trusting that Bob Huggins will figure out a way to make it work.

21. N.C. STATE WOLFPACK

  • Who’s gone: Omer Yurtseven, Al Freeman, Abdul-Malik Abu, Lennard Freeman, Sam Hunt
  • Who do they add: C.J. Bryce, Devon Daniels, Blake Harris, Saddiq Bey, Jericole Hellems, Derek Funderburk, Ian Steere, Immanuel Bates
  • Projected starting lineup: Braxton Beverly, Markell Johnson, Torin Dorn, C.J. Bryce, Derek Funderburk

Kevin Keatts is going to miss Yurtseven, because he doesn’t have any size on his roster anymore. He does, however, have half-a-million guards on his roster, and all of them can play. That’s enough for me to bet on Keatts getting it done.

(Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

22. LSU Tigers

  • Who’s gone: Duop Reath, Randy Onwuasor, Aaron Epps, Jeremy Combs, Mayan Kiir, Galen Alexander
  • Who do they add: Naz Reid, Emmitt Williams, Javonte Smart, Darius Days, Kavell Bigby-Williams
  • Projected starting lineup: Tremont Waters, Javonte Smart, Skylar Mays, Naz Reid, Emmitt Williams

LSU is really young. They are also really talented. Waters is so entertaining, and the incoming trio of Smart, Reid and Williams is very good. Effort will be a key, as will their ability to play together, but they have a chance to be really good.

23. CLEMSON TIGERS

  • Who’s gone: Gabe DeVoe, Donte Grantham, Mark Donnal
  • Who do they add: John Newman III, Hunter Tyson, Trey Jamison, Javan White
  • Projected starting lineup: Shelton Mitchell, Marcquise Reed, AJ Oliver, Aamir Simms, Elijah Thomas

With Mitchell and Reed back in the fold, plus Elijah Thomas in the paint, this has the makings of another team that will push for a top five seed.

24. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

  • Who’s gone: Moe Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Duncan Robinson, Jaaron Simmons
  • Who do they add: Ignas Brazdeikis, David DeJulius, Brandon Johns, Adrian Nunez, Colin Castleton
  • Projected starting lineup: Zavier Simpson, Charles Matthews, Jordan Poole, Isaiah Livers, Jon Teske

Losing Wagner and Abdur-Rahkman, the program’s two best offensive weapons, are major blows for a team that struggled to score a season ago. Matthews’ decision to return is key and they will really be able to guard again, but one of their three big wings is going to need to take a major step forward for them offensively.

25. SYRACUSE ORANGE

  • Who’s gone: Matthew Moyer
  • Who do they add: Buddy Boeheim, Jalen Carey, Robert Braswell, Eli Hughes
  • Projected starting lineup: Tyus Battle, Franklin Howard, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, Paschal Chukwu

The Orange have no depth and very little perimeter shooting this side of Buddy Boeheim, but with Tyus Battle back in the fold, I think this Orange team will be able to scrape together enough ugly, grind-it-out wins to be in and around the top 25 all season.

THE FIVE THAT JUST MISSED:

26. Xavier
27. Maryland
28. Indiana
29. Purdue
30. Florida

Spanish defender Gerard Pique compares Spain to 1989 Michigan title team

Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT
By Rob DausterJun 14, 2018, 7:32 AM EDT
Leave a comment

You wouldn’t think that Gerard Pique had an encyclopedic knowledge of college basketball, but here we are.

Don’t know who Gerard Pique is?

Beyond being Shakira’s lesser half, he is the longtime starting centerback for Barcelona as well as Spain’s national soccer team, and it’s the latter position that has him being written about on a college basketball website.

For those that are unaware, Thursday marks the beginning of the World Cup. On Friday, the Spanish team is slated to square off with Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in their first match of group play, a critical game if the Spaniards want to avoid being dumped out of football’s most important tournament before the knockout rounds like they did in 2014. On Wednesday, the Spanish national team fired their manager, Julen Lopetegui, replacing him with Fernando Hierro.

The reasons for the firing are complicated and centered around the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, but the long and short of it is that news leaked out that Lopetegui had accepted the job as Madrid’s manager. The Spanish FA did not want someone coaching their national team that had already taken another job, so they unloaded him.

Where does Pique fall in this mess?

As this drama was unfolding, he tweeted the following:

For those that don’t speak spanish, the tweet reads: “University of Michigan. Basketball. 1989. NCAA Championship. It would not be the first time this has happened. All together, no more than ever before.”

What Pique is referring to is the national title that Steve Fisher won as the head coach of the Wolverines, and it is a fun trip down memory lane that I had totally forgotten about. Hell, it may be a new story for many of you.

In 1989, just two days before the start of the NCAA tournament, Michigan head coach Bill Frieder resigned. Well, technically he was fired. He was told by athletic director that he shouldn’t bother showing up for the tournament after accepting the job as head coach at Arizona State.

“I don’t want someone from Arizona State coaching the Michigan team,” Schembechler said. “A Michigan man is going to coach Michigan.”

Fisher had been an assistant coach on the Michigan staff for seven seasons, and he was named the interim head coach for the 1989 tournament, launching what might be a Hall of Fame coaching career. Fisher would lead Michigan past North Carolina — who had eliminated the Wolverines in the last two tournaments — in the Sweet 16 and coach them to a thrilling win over Illinois in the Final Four before Rumeal Robinson’s free throws in overtime of the title game gave Fisher one of the most improbable national titles in the history of the tournament.

And the rest is history. Fisher would go on to recruit the Fab Five, reach two more national title games and then rebuild a moribund San Diego State program into a west coast power before retiring.

The irony of it all?

Fisher was not the man that Schembechler wanted to hire. He wanted Pete Gillen or Jim Crews or whatever hot name there was on the coaching carousel that spring. But Fisher went out and won the title, making the job and the future of the Michigan program his.

It’s a great story, one that doesn’t get told enough.

And if you are a fan of Spain, you’re hoping that history will repeat itself.

Did John Beilein return to Michigan because of a Woj-bomb?

Rob Carr/Getty Images
By Rob DausterJun 8, 2018, 10:34 AM EDT
1 Comment

Did a Woj-bomb keep college basketball from losing John Beilein to the NBA?

According to the man himself, yes.

Brendan Quinn, the Michigan beat writer over at the athletic, sat down with Beilein after the Michigan head coach announced that he would be pulling his name out of the running for the Detroit Pistons job and said as much. He didn’t want his candidacy to become a long, drawn-out story.

“I didn’t want this be one of these things: ‘Hey, the NBA called me,’” Beilein said, mock-pounding his chest, King Kong-style. “I didn’t want it to be that way. I wanted it to be, ‘Hey, let’s talk, let’s listen. If it’s a good match, great. If it’s not, it’s not.’ But then I hated the drama. I hated the attention on myself.”

That sounds about right. Beilein has never been the most media friendly coach, a stark contrast from his counterpart in East Lansing.

The cynic in me wonders if Beilein saw the writing on the wall, if he knew he was the second option for the Pistons brass behind Dwayne Casey and if he knew his best shot at getting the job was if someone else said no. A weeks-long chase of a job he doesn’t get is a really easy way to fall behind in recruiting and convince the players on your roster that you don’t actually want to be on campus.

And personally, I have my doubts about how well Beilein would have fit in an NBA locker room. The x’s-and-o’s wouldn’t be a problem — a pick-and-roll heavy offense contingent on creating mismatches and floor-spacing is the modern NBA — but the way he’s wired could be. What makes coaches like Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens and Ty Lue successful is their ability to relinquish control and let their stars be stars, egos and all. Stevens walked into Boston with that midwest charm and a humility that said he doesn’t know everything even if he probably does. Kerr had no issue being called “rookie” when he took his first head coaching gig. Lue knows his job is to essentially be a sounding board for LeBron, someone that finds a way to make the things LeBron wants to do work.

Beilein ceding control of his defense this season makes me wonder if this is, in fact, a bad take, but after speaking with coaches around the country, that — and Beilein’s legendarily strange terminology — seemed to be what his contemporaries thought would be the biggest obstacle.

But none of that matters now.

Beilein is back in Ann Arbor.

And Wolverines fans have Woj to thank.

John Beilein to stay at Michigan

Rob Carr/Getty Images
By Rob DausterJun 6, 2018, 12:29 PM EDT
Leave a comment

John Beilein will not be following Mike Davis to Detroit.

One day after Detroit Mercy filled their coaching vacancy, it appears we are close to the Detroit Pistons doing the same, only it won’t be a coach coming from the college ranks to take that job.

On Wednesday, Beilein announced that he will remain the head coach of the Wolverines, nearly a week after officially interviewing for the Pistons job.

The Wolverines will enter the 2018-19 season as a top 25 team. They are currently ranked 24th in the NBC Sports Preseason Top 25.

Beilein, along with reigning NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey, who was fired by Toronto this spring, was reportedly one of the two favorites to get the job. He interviewed with the Pistons on Thursday and was expected to meet with Pistons brass again at some point this week.

Beilein never did stop recruiting, however, as he was one of the college coaches that made their way to Colorado Springs for the U-18 tryouts last weekend.

As one of the smartest x’s-and-o’s coaches in the country, Beilein would make sense as an NBA mind, although there were questions about whether or not he had the personality that would have fit in a locker room with NBA stars.

Beilein has been the coach at Michigan for the last 11 seasons. He’s been to the national championship game twice in those 11 years, including last year’s trip to the final.

Michigan’s John Beilein one of three slated to meet with Pistons owner

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
By Travis HinesJun 4, 2018, 10:48 PM EDT
Leave a comment

The Detroit Pistons’ flirtation with John Beilein continues.

The Michigan coach is one of three finalists that are slated to meet with Pistons owner Tom Gores as the franchise looks to fill its head coaching position, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey and San Antonio Spurs assistant Ime Udoka are the other two finalists.

Beilein has already met with the Pistons’ front office and appears to be genuinely interested in the position, but, as noted in Wojnarowski’s report, a prolonged and public process is a difficult thing for a college coach to navigate given roster, recruiting and simple PR concerns. Still, Beilein is seemingly intrigued enough about the opportunity – helming a professional team without having to even move if he didn’t want to – to at least pursue it this far.

Given Beilein’s success at Michigan – he’s won nearly 250 games there and appeared in two national title games – he’s got the leeway to see what this opportunity might hold. The NBA is also about the only level left for Beilein to try in his coaching career that starting at the high school ranks and has now brought him to one of the nation’s biggest athletic departments.

Beilein has garnered NBA interest before, but his name is not among the most popular to be bandied about when it comes to coaches jumping from the college ranks to the pros – Jay Wright’s name popped up way more just this spring along – but given his resume and respect he commands in coaching circles, it makes a lot of sense.

Now it’ll likely just come down to both the Pistons and Beilein deciding if the fit is right.

The Winners: Which college basketball teams got helped the most by NBA draft early entries

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
By Rob DausterMay 31, 2018, 7:00 AM EDT
Leave a comment

More College Hoops

From Spokane to Serbia, Nigel Williams-Goss sees NBA dreams take a detour 2018 NBA Draft Second Round Steals College Basketball Preseason Top 25

The NCAA’s deadline for players that are testing the waters came and went at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.

These are the programs that were the biggest winners. 

The biggest losers can be found here. 

THE BIGGEST WINNERS

GONZAGA

Mark Few will once again have a team that is going to contend for a national title this season, as the Bulldogs returned their two most important pieces in the front court in Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura.

The Zags were going to be good without them, but with that pair in the mix, Gonzaga has a real case to be the No. 1 team in the country heading into the preseason. They also return Zach Norvell, Josh Perkins and Corey Kispert while adding transfer Brandon Clarke. That is a very good core, but the reason they are going to be among the nation’s elite is because of that front court.

Tillie and Rui are both terrific athletes that will create mismatches and space the floor, and Rui has a real chance to develop into a top ten pick next season. This will be Gonzaga’s best team since … well, since they made the national title game in 2017.

VIRGINIA

The ‘Hoos are coming off an utter embarrassment at the hands of No. 16-seed UMBC in the NCAA tournament, but the good news is that they are going to once again have a team that will be in the mix for an ACC regular season title and a top three seed.

That is because they got De’Andre Hunter back. It’s his versatility that will make Hunter so important for the Cavaliers next season. Let’s go beyond the simple fact that he is going to be the only guy on the Virginia roster that can create his own shot against length and athleticism and that there is a chance that he could end up being an all-american next season if things play out the right way. What makes Hunter so important to Virginia his that his defensive versatility is what allows Virginia to matchup with teams that want to try and play small-ball against them.

With Hunter, Virginia has some depth issues but still looks like a top ten team on paper.

(Eric Espada/Getty Images)

NEVADA

The Wolf Pack couldn’t stop adding pieces to their roster during the spring.

Not only did Eric Musselman clean up on the recruiting trail, adding Jordan Brown and a pair of grad transfers, but he managed to get both Caleb and Cody Martin to return to school along with Jordan Caroline. Those could end up being three of the five players on the preseason all-Mountain West team, and with those three back in the fold, Nevada — coming off of a run to the Sweet 16 — has enough talent on their roster to legitimately be considered a threat to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

This is the best MWC team since Kawhi and Jimmer were burning that conference to the ground. It’s a good time to live in Reno.

WHOEVER LANDS REID TRAVIS

The Stanford grad transfer immediately became the most important player in the college basketball news cycle when he announced that he will be returning to school but leaving the Cardinal program. A 6-foot-8 forward that averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 boards, he’s a player that has been linked to both Kentucky and Villanova, two programs that got hit hard during the draft process and could use some interior depth. It’s not crazy to think that where he ends up going will become the favorite to win the 2019 national title.

SYRACUSE

The Orange were a weird team last season. They played a plodding pace and won because they could absolutely lock up defensively and they had Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett to carry them offensively. Brissett announced that he will be returning to school back in April, but Battle waited until just a couple of hours before the deadline to make it official.

And it’s Battle that is the key. Syracuse should have a little more shooting this season that they did last year with Buddy Boeheim in the mix, but this is still a group that is going to rely quite a bit on Battle to create points for them. He is the difference between the back-end of the preseason top 25 and a .500 season.

(Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

THE BIG TEN

Other than Maryland, was there a Big Ten team that didn’t get good news when it came time for players that were testing the waters to make their decisions?

  • Michigan will not be losing their three best scorers now that Charles Matthews is returning to school. They’ll be a preseason top 25 team when the polls are released.
  • Purdue not only returned Nojel Eastern, but they bring back Carsen Edwards, who could end being a preseason first-team all-american.
  • Ethan Happ returns to anchor a Wisconsin program that seems to be on the verge of a resurgence.
  • Indiana not only landed Romeo Langford, but they brought back Juwan Morgan, who is the perfect player for an Archie Miller-coached team.
  • Nebraska looks like a tournament team with both James Palmer and Isaac Copeland back in the mix.
  • Iowa brought back both Tyler Cook and Isaiah Moss.
  • Michigan State lost Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson, but they did get Nick Ward back.

I think the Spartans will be the best team in the Big Ten next season, but I’m not all that confident in that. What I do know is that there are going to be six or seven teams that can compete for the league title, and that with all these players coming back, there is going to be much more depth in the conference this season.

THE SEC

The SEC also brought seemingly everyone that was on the fence back, which means that the conference, as a whole, is going to be loaded at the top with plenty of depth. Hell, the SEC might just be the best league in college basketball next season look at this:

  • Arkansas got perhaps the biggest gift as Daniel Gafford, a potential lottery pick, opted to return for his sophomore season.
  • Auburn lost Mustapha Heron but brought back Bryce Brown, Jared Harper, Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy and will enter the season as a top 15 team.
  • Tennessee brings back Admiral Schofield and looks like they might push to be a No. 1 seed.
  • Missouri lost Michael Porter Jr. but they bring back his brother Jontay.
  • Tremont Waters is back at LSU, making them a top 25 team.
  • Mississippi State had four players declare and four players opt to return to school. They will be a top 15 team.
  • Florida got Jalen Hudson back for his fifth-year.
  • Even Kentucky, who lost a handful of key pieces, brought back P.J Washington and Quade Green and still might add Reid Travis.

There is a lot to like about the SEC next year.

UCLA

The deadline couldn’t have gone much better for the Bruins, as they returned all three of the players that declared for the draft not named Aaron Holiday: Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands and Cody Riley. Steve Alford has a roster that is talented enough that it should win the Pac-12 next season. We’ll see if the Bruins can live up to the expectations.

THE DEADLINE WAS GOOD TO THEM

  • KANSAS: The Jayhawks were always going to be really good, but getting Udoka Azubuike back means they’ll have arguably the best low-post presence in the country next season.
  • NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels probably weren’t really in jeopardy of losing Luke Maye to the NBA, but he did declare and he did return to school. UNC will be a top ten team next season.
  • WEST VIRGINIA: The Mountaineers got both Esa Ahmad and Sagaba Konate back, meaning that it will be that much easier for them to weather the storm of losing Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles.
  • CLEMSON: The Tigers are once again going to be a top 25 team with both Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed pulling out of the draft.
  • WASHINGTON: With Noah Dickerson back, are the Huskies the favorite to win the Pac-12 this season?
  • SAN DIEGO STATE: Jalen McDaniels came on strong late in the season and should be a star for the Aztecs in 2018-19.
  • ST. JOHN’S: Getting Shamorie Ponds back was a good thing. Adding Auburn transfer Mustapha Heron for the 2018-19 season would be a great thing.