It’s never too early to start looking ahead to next season!
Check below for our list of 5 teams that should be vastly improved during the 20-21 college basketball season.
In no particular order:
North Carolina: One year after Roy Williams suffered a losing record for the first time in his Hall-of-Fame career, the Tar Heels are set to bounce back. North Carolina lost a first-round pick in Cole Anthony, but adds a top flight recruiting headlined by multiple top-100 prospects. Freshmen guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis will shoulder the bulk of the ball handling responsibilities while first-year big men Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler figure to have an immediate impact on the glass. Veterans Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot, and Leaky Black all return with Brooks in position to be one of the top players in the ACC. While both reliable point guard play and consistent shooting remain in question, North Carolina’s overall talent base is not. After winning just 14 games last season, the Tar Heels have a foundation strong enough to get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
UMass: The Minutemen have not had a winning record under Matt McCall, but that should change this season. UMass returns three double-figure scorers — Tre Mitchell, T.J Weeks, and Carl Pierre — with the 6-9 Mitchell set to emerge as one of the top front court players in the country after averaging 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last year as a freshman. McCall needs mileage out of newcomers Noah Fernandes (Wichita State) and Javohn Garcia at point guard, but has a nucleus in place that is good enough to be competitive with the top teams in the Atlantic 10. This could be the best team that the Minutemen have had since they reached the 2014 NCAA Tournament under Derek Kellogg.
Nebraska: Eight of the Cornhuskers’ 13 scholarship players are transfers. Sound familiar? Just like he did at Iowa State, Fred Hoiberg is counting on imports from other programs to move the needle in Lincoln. Nebraska should get immediate contributions from two JUCO transfers — Teddy Allen and Lat Mayen — while former Western Kentucky guard Dalano Banton is a unique prospect at 6-8 thanks to his versatility. The Cornhuskers won seven games last season in their first year under Hoiberg. What type of jump can be expected in in 20-21? With the recent addition of Pitt transfer Trey McGowens, Nebraska should have enough to play in some sort of postseason tournament in 2021.
Miami: Jim Larranaga’s best teams in Coral Gables have always featured rosters were loaded with experience. Those attributes are again immediately synonymous with this group of Hurricanes. Miami will start a senior floor general in All-ACC point guard Chris Lykes along with two fifth-year seniors in Kameron McGusty and Cincinnati transfer Nysier Brooks. The Hurricanes also add a potential starter in top-50 freshman Earl Timberlake while Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly are both capable perimeter players. Don’t be shocked if Miami is a factor in the top third of the ACC standings. The Hurricanes are in position to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
South Florida: Alexis Yetna’s season-ending knee injury pushed the Bulls’ trajectory back a season, but they’re still on track to be one of the best teams in the American Athletic Conference. With Yetna now healthy, Brian Gregory has an all-conference caliber player up front to feature in the pivot. Veteran guard David Collins headlines a strong returning nucleus that includes four of South Florida’s top six scorers from last season. Top-100 freshman Caleb Murphy is an impactful newcomer and could push for a starting spot. On the heels of a 14-win season, the Bulls have the requisites to be in the NCAA Tournament discussion in 2021.
