That is of course, if both Remy Martin and Romello White bypass the 2020 NBA Draft and return to school next season.
Like many underclassmen, both Martin (19.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists in 19-20) and White (10.2 points, 8.8 rebounds in 19-20) have already declared for this year’s NBA Draft while maintaining their eligibility for the 20-21 college basketball season. Their return coupled with the addition of incoming freshman Josh Christopher — a 5-star prospect who committed to the Sun Devils last week — would make Arizona State the clear favorite in the Pac-12 entering next season.
If Martin and White return to school, they’re both likely to be members of the Pac-12’s preseason all-conference first-team with Martin in place to be a lock as the conference’s preseason player of the year.
Bobby Hurley would have had Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season if the field of 68 hadn’t been cancelled last month due to coronavirus. Now things are now aligning for the former Duke point guard to have his best team as head coach in 20-21.
In addition to potentially having Martin and Christopher on the perimeter, Hurley will also bring back a proven scorer in versatile guard Alonzo Verge. Martin and Verge combined to average 33.7 points last season.
The Sun Devils also add another top-50 recruit in Marcus Bagley — the brother of current Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley — and return four quality rotational pieces in Jaelen House, Taeshon Cherry, Kimani Lawrence, and Jalen Graham.
If all hands are on deck, the Pac-12 goes through Tempe next season.
Early expectations should be tempered for Kentucky
John Calipari is as good as any coach in the history of college basketball at getting his team to gel together in a short period of time, but he will have his hands full next season.
Following E.J. Montgomery’s decision last week to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, the Wildcats are now in a position where they return just one player — Keion Brooks — who played meaningful minutes during the 19-20 season.
People better temper expectations early.
Kentucky loses 94 percent of its scoring and 87 percent of its rebounding from last year’s team that went 25-6 prior to the SEC Tournament. That’s going to lead to some early growing pains, something that often happens when you’re integrating so many new pieces on an annual basis.
Kentucky added experience in Davion Mintz —- a graduate transfer from Creighton — and is very much in the mix for Purdue graduate transfer Matt Haarms, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that every player that takes the floor other than Brooks next season will be in their first year in the Wildcats’ program.
Calipari’s teams have always gotten significantly better in January and February than they were in November and December.
Expect that trend to continue again in Lexington next season, with the first two months of the 20-21 season to be trial by fire for all of Kentucky’s new players, especially 5-star freshmen Devin Askew, Terrence Clarke, and B.J. Boston.
UNLV is scheduling like it’s ready to make a jump
Malachi Flynn’s decision to bypass his final year of eligibility at San Diego State to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft means that the Mountain West Conference isn’t likely to begin next season with a team that’s clearly above the rest.
Could UNLV eventually emerge as this league’s best team in 20-21?
The Runnin Rebels have certainly scheduled like it.
Entering its second season under T.J. Otzelberger, UNLV has put together a ferocious non-conference schedule loaded with multiple opportunities to move the needle in November and December. The Runnin Rebels will play three games at the Maui Invitational and host UCLA and Cal in Las Vegas. This doesn’t include road tilts at Kansas State, SMU, and VCU (part of the Atlantic 10-Mountain West Challenge).
Is UNLV ready to assume the top perch in the Mountain West following Flynn’s departure from San Diego State?
That’s to be determined and it also remains to be seen what other key players in the league (Nevada’s Jalen Harris) decide in terms of whether or not to stay in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Runnin Rebels do return a solid nucleus of Bryce Hamilton, Donnie Tillman, and Cheikh Mbacke Diong. They also add an impact transfer in David Jenkins, who played for Otzelberger at South Dakota State. The 6-2 Jenkins averaged 19.7 points during the 18-19 season.
UNLV finished 17-15 last season and was one of two teams to beat San Diego State, handing the Aztecs their only loss at Viejas Arena.
This and That:
– Is Jalen Green’s decision to play in the G-League a major problem for college basketball? Not at all. Ask yourself this: how many people were less excited for the NCAA Tournament in February and March because R.J. Hampton and LaMelo Ball did the same thing as Green a year ago? Zero.
– The last two national champions — Villanova and Virginia — played a combined 16 players in the 2018 and 2019 national title games. Nine of those players redshirted. Four were first round picks. Two were lottery picks. Is a “year in residence” that much of a detriment to student athletes?
– Rick Pitino’s first game as head coach of Iona will be on November 10th or 11th at San Francisco, according to multiple sources. The Dons are expected by many to potentially be the top challenger to Gonzaga in the WCC next season.
– USC will host Stanford on the Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend in the first Pac-12 game of next season. Much like the ACC and Big Ten, the league is shifting to 20 conference games in 20-21. The Big East will also shift to 20 league games next season.
– In the last five years of the NBA Draft, 300 different players have been selected. Only 14 of those players have been transfers. That’s 4.6 percent. 12 of those players redshirted.
