2020-21 College Sports Madness Top 144 Countdown

[WuShock Reaper]

MEN'S BASKETBALL TOP 144 PREVIEWS

Check in everyday to see where your team ranks in The College Sports Madness Top 144 team previews. We will unveil a new team each day with an in-depth preview until the announcement of #1 on the opening day of the season.

Don't just see where your team is ranked, see who they will match up against in the NCAA Tournament. The Madness also projects where teams will appear in the field of 68. When teams are unveiled they will be added to The Madness Bracketology Page.

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com...p-144-previews

Teams of Interest:
#140 Tulsa Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#118 UCF Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#102 South Florida Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#95 Missouri Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Non-Conference
#93 New Mexico State Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Marshall Coaching Tree
#86 North Texas Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Non-Conference
#85 Kansas State Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Charity Game
#84 Wichita State Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#68 Western Kentucky Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Non-Conference
#59 Cincinnati Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#58 Utah Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Potential Opponent Battle for Atlantis
#53 Ole Miss Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Non-Conference
#52 SMU Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#33 Memphis Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview
#32 Oklahoma State Men's Basketball 2020-2021 Preview - Non-Conference

[WuShock Reaper]

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18579

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #140
Conference Rank: #8 American

"Before the season was cut short, Tulsa looked like they had an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. The Golden Hurricane had wins over Houston, Wichita State and Memphis, though they would have needed a deep AAC Tournament run to have a realistic chance at earning a bid. In any event, Tulsa ultimately exceeded expectations last season and will look to do the same in 2020-21. Two of their top three scorers have departed though, so duplicating last season’s success won’t be easy....

Projection:
Senior forward Brandon Rachal is the lone returning double-digit scorer from last season. Rachal averaged 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 steals as a junior. With Martins Igbanu and Jeriah Horne gone, Rachal could have an all-conference season as a senior. Senior guards Darien Jackson and Elijah Joiner are the only other two major contributors returning from last season. The backcourt will be in solid hands as both players averaged 7+ points, 3+ rebounds and 2+ assists per game last year. The Golden Hurricane’s depth will be the biggest concern heading into this season. Emmanuel Ugboh and Josh Earley are the only other returners from last season and neither played more than eight minutes per contest. Tulsa will need redshirt transfers Curtis Haywood and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson to make immediate impacts. Haywood played two seasons at Georgia Tech and averaged 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals as a sophomore. Embery-Simpson, a former four-star recruit, played one season at Arkansas where he averaged 4.1 points per game. Austin Richie should also be relied upon as a junior college transfer. Richie was an NJCAA Third-Team All-American who averaged 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds at Triton College last season. Tulsa also brings in three true freshmen, though none of them have strong recruiting profiles. Tulsa became a dark horse contender in the AAC last season behind their smothering defense and that will likely be their recipe again in 2020-21 as the roster appears to be lacking in reliable scoring options....

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

UCF Knights

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18610

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #118
Conference Rank: #7 American

"UCF’s 2019-20 season went in line with their expectations heading into the year. Fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance where they made it to the second round, the Golden Knights suffered a lot of turnover between seasons and it showed as they finished just 7-11 in conference play. This year, UCF had much more consistency from the previous season as they return four players who started at least 13 games and seven rotation players altogether. They also add some high-quality transfers and should see some overall improvement in 2020-21....

Projection:
Colin Smith is the only full-time returning starter, though three other players started either 14 or 13 games last season. Smith is a 6-11 forward entering his senior season after leading UCF in scoring as a junior. Smith was top-20 in the AAC in scoring (12.6), rebounding (6.3) and field goal percentage (46.3). Darin Green is the only other returner who averaged double-digit points last season. Green started 14 games as a true freshman, averaged 10.1 points and was best in the conference in three’s made (2.3) and three-point percentage (41.7). Brandon Mahan and Dre Fuller each started 13 games in their first year at UCF. Mahan, a Texas A&M transfer, averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while Fuller averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a redshirt freshman. Tony Johnson, Avery Diggs and Ibrahim Doumbia round out the returning rotation members from a season ago. UCF will have five new players this year including three transfers. Darius Perry joins as a grad transfer from Louisville. Perry started 26 games at point guard last season and averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 assists and shot 38.9% from three. Sean Mobley sat out last year and will have two seasons remaining at UCF. Mobley is a 6-8 forward from VCU who averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds two seasons ago. Moses Bol, a relative of Manute and Bol Bol, took a redshirt year last season after averaging 5.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in junior college two years ago. Lastly, Isaiah Adams and Jamille Reynolds are true freshmen joining the roster. UCF will benefit from the added continuity from last year to this season. The Knights might not quite compete for an NCAA Tournament berth, but they should be more competitive in the AAC in 2020-21.

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

South Florida Bulls

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18648

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #102
Conference Rank: #6 American"

"After winning the CBI championship in 2019, South Florida finished just 14-17 last season. That was a young team though and an injury to Alexis Yetna certainly did not help matters. Two years ago Yetna averaged 12.3 points and 9.6 rebounds on his way to earning American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year accolades. With a healthy Yetna back in action, the Bulls suddenly have the dominant force in the paint they need to move up the conference standings....

Projection:
Coach Brian Gregory will be very happy to have Yetna back, but he also returns four starters from last season. David Collins led the Bulls in scoring for the second year in a row, averaging 13.7 points to go along with his 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals. Collins struggled shooting the ball as a junior, but he deserves credit for cutting back on his outside shots and working on attacking the basket. Wing Justin Brown is another experienced senior who can score from anywhere on the floor. He connected on a team high 55 three-pointers. The percentage was not great, but hitting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc did significantly boost the team’s three-point shooting percentage. Ezacuras Dawson and Xavier Castaneda played significant minutes in the backcourt and their experience will be a huge benefit to USF in 2020-2021. The frontcourt returns Michael Durr who was forced into a larger role last season after Yetna got hurt. He did pretty well though, averaging 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Now USF has the ability to play much bigger than they did last season. Some transfers could help with their frontcourt depth too. Prince Oduro has had the most productive collegiate career of the transfers so far. He spent his freshman campaign at Siena where he averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds before redshirting and seeing limited action with Mississippi State in 2019-2020. If eligible, Oduro should at least provide enough depth for Coach Gregory to put out a big lineup that includes Brown on the wing with Durr and Yetna in the frontcourt. The bigger concern could be at point guard though where Castaneda will have to take on more of a leadership role than he did in 2019-2020.

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[Shockm]

South Florida Bulls

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18648

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #102
Conference Rank: #6 American"

"After winning the CBI championship in 2019, South Florida finished just 14-17 last season. That was a young team though and an injury to Alexis Yetna certainly did not help matters. Two years ago Yetna averaged 12.3 points and 9.6 rebounds on his way to earning American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year accolades. With a healthy Yetna back in action, the Bulls suddenly have the dominant force in the paint they need to move up the conference standings....

Projection:
Coach Brian Gregory will be very happy to have Yetna back, but he also returns four starters from last season. David Collins led the Bulls in scoring for the second year in a row, averaging 13.7 points to go along with his 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals. Collins struggled shooting the ball as a junior, but he deserves credit for cutting back on his outside shots and working on attacking the basket. Wing Justin Brown is another experienced senior who can score from anywhere on the floor. He connected on a team high 55 three-pointers. The percentage was not great, but hitting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc did significantly boost the team’s three-point shooting percentage. Ezacuras Dawson and Xavier Castaneda played significant minutes in the backcourt and their experience will be a huge benefit to USF in 2020-2021. The frontcourt returns Michael Durr who was forced into a larger role last season after Yetna got hurt. He did pretty well though, averaging 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Now USF has the ability to play much bigger than they did last season. Some transfers could help with their frontcourt depth too. Prince Oduro has had the most productive collegiate career of the transfers so far. He spent his freshman campaign at Siena where he averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds before redshirting and seeing limited action with Mississippi State in 2019-2020. If eligible, Oduro should at least provide enough depth for Coach Gregory to put out a big lineup that includes Brown on the wing with Durr and Yetna in the frontcourt. The bigger concern could be at point guard though where Castaneda will have to take on more of a leadership role than he did in 2019-2020.

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

.
Temple, East Carolina, and Tulane are most likely the ones not in the Top 144 Rankings.

South Florida will be higher than 102 this year.

I would expect that it is either SMU or us that will be next and my prediction is that because we lost so many players, they will predict us.

[pogo]

.


I would expect that it is either SMU or us that will be next and my prediction is that because we lost so many players, they will predict us.

Those ba*****s

[ShockAzs]

.
Temple, East Carolina, and Tulane are most likely the ones not in the Top 144 Rankings.

South Florida will be higher than 102 this year.

I would expect that it is either SMU or us that will be next and my prediction is that because we lost so many players, they will predict us.

Nope.

[Shockm]

Nope.

You may be right.

[WuDrWu]

Totally agree on USF. They're going to be a load to deal with this season, IF we're playing games (and I don't think we will).

[ShockAzs]

You may be right.

I hope so. And there's already respect out there for the reload we did, starting with AG and of course the commits.

[ShockerPrez]

Curious where Illinois St will rank in this.

[wufan]

Curious where Illinois St will rank in this.

This is their year.

[ShockAzs]

Great. Looking forward to updates about top 144, but it's about. ISUR. And not ISUR in the top 144.

[WuShock Reaper]

Missouri Tigers - Non-Conference

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18662

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #95
Conference Rank: #11 SEC

"Missouri has now finished below .500 in consecutive seasons under Cuonzo Martin after a 20-win debut year in 2017-18. The good news is the Tigers return the majority of their production from last season. However, Missouri did just fail to finish above .500 with the same players. Cuonzo Martin and Missouri will be hoping the past two years were learning years and that this season will be the payoff. Offense was a struggle last year, but Missouri should be one of the top defensive teams in the SEC in 2020-2021. With improvements across the roster, the Tigers could potentially compete at the top of the SEC....

Projection:
Each of the top seven scorers from last season are back for Missouri. Dru Smith led the Tigers in scoring (12.7), assists (3.9) and steals (2.1) per game in his first year at Missouri. Smith is a talented all-around guard who has potential to be an all-conference guard as a senior. Xavier Pinson and Mark Smith, the other double-digit scorers for Mizzou last year, are also back as upperclassmen. D. Smith, Pinson, M. Smith, junior guard Javon Pickett and grad transfer Drew Buggs will make up one of the most experienced backcourts in the SEC. Senior big man Jeremiah Tilmon could be the X-factor for the Tigers this year. Tilmon was a top recruit who came to Missouri in 2017 with Michael Porter Jr., but he hasn’t been able to put together a season up to those standards yet. Tilmon played in just 17 games as a junior, averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds. It may be too late, but if Tilmon can put together a season that matches his talent it could be what Missouri needs to get over the hump. Kobe Brown started 26 games as a freshman, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds. Mitchell Smith, Torrence Watson and Parker Braun all return to boost Missouri’s experience level off the bench. Missouri welcomes a couple of transfers as well. Drew Buggs is a grad transfer from Hawaii who averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds last season. Buggs set the all-time assists record at Hawaii in just three seasons there. Ed Chang is a 6-8 forward who spent one season at San Diego State before playing in junior college last year. Chang averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 41.4% from three last season. Missouri has just one freshman on the roster in three-star center Jordan Wilmore who stands 7-2. Having consistency from last season will benefit Missouri, but they will need improvement from several players to achieve a better record.


Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

New Mexico State Aggies - Marshall Coaching Tree

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18667

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #93
Conference Rank: #1 WAC

"New Mexico State has been penciled in as WAC champions every year for quite some time now. They have reached seven of the last eight NCAA Tournaments. They still went to the NIT that season and won the conference regular season title. Since Coach Chris Jans took over the program, the Aggies have gone 42-3 in conference play. NMSU will have to deal with the loss of four starters, but this is still the team to beat in the WAC....

Projection:
Johnny McCants is the lone returning starter. The 6-7 senior tallied 9.3 points and a team high 6.2 rebounds and has the ability to carry the team on both sides of the floor. McCants can spread the floor with his outside shooting ability and Evan Gilyard can shoot the ball as well. The senior added 7.5 points and 2.8 assists. Those two will be the senior leaders on the team, but New Mexico State welcomes in eight transfers, including three from the Division I ranks. Marcus Watson comes from Oklahoma State where he spent his freshman campaign suspended. The former top 50 recruit has the talent to make a big impact with his new team. Donnie Tillman has plenty of experience after spending three seasons at UNLV. Last year he averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists with the Runnin’ Rebels. Jacob Tryon may be lesser known to New Mexico State fans, but the transfer from Portland is a big, experienced senior center who can stretch the defense with his outside shooting. Those experienced Division I players will provide a talented group to build around. If the junior college transfers can at least provide some quality depth, not only will New Mexico State get back to the NCAA Tournament, but they could be a very dangerous team once there as well."

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA