2020-21 College Sports Madness Top 144 Countdown

[WuShock Reaper]

North Texas Mean Green

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18682

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #86
Conference Rank: #2 C-USA

"Last year North Texas had one of their best seasons ever. Back in 2010 the Mean Green won the West Division of the Sun Belt and went to the NCAA Tournament. Last year North Texas went 14-4 in Conference USA play and won 20 games for the third straight season. Unfortunately for UNT, they never got a chance to play the conference tournament and see if they could get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that 2010 campaign, but the Mean Green are here to stay and will look for another shot at reaching the tournament in 2021....


Projection:
Four of the eight players from last year’s regular rotation are back in 2020-2021. Javion Hamlet led the way with 14.6 points and 4.7 assists per game. The 6-4 senior does not take too many shots from long range, but he is a consistent shooter and the defense has to respect his ability to shoot the ball. Fellow senior James Reese will look to emerge as the team’s top outside shooter now that Umoja Gibson transferred to Oklahoma. Without Gibson, North Texas will look inside a little bit more to forwards Zachary Simmons and Thomas Bell. Simmons is the big 6-10 forward who will stay in the paint. Bell is a more versatile 6-6 forward who can shoot the ball and do a lot of work on the glass. Those four seniors will be the core of the Mean Green team, but of course they will need a few more bodies to fill out the rotation. Lanky 6-6 forward Terence Lewis is coming off a great season at New Mexico Junior College where he averaged 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 60.1 percent from the floor. Mardrez McBride is a sharpshooter and another talented junior college transfer who will make an immediate impact. The three incoming freshmen are talented enough to at least provide enough depth for Coach Grant McCasland. If the newcomers can gel with the four returning seniors, North Texas can replicate last year’s success and be a contender for a Conference USA title.

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

Kansas State Wildcats

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18686

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #85
Conference Rank: #10 Big 12

"After three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including an Elite Eight run in 2018, Kansas State had a forgettable 2019-2020 campaign. The Wildcats won just three Big 12 games and went 11-22 overall. The Big 12 was very tough, but the expectations were that Kansas State would compete for another trip to the NCAA Tournament. With their top three scorers gone, Coach Bruce Weber will have to find some new leaders to carry his team up the Big 12 standings.

Projection:
Mike McGuirl is the lone senior on the roster. He is the team’s top returning scorer with 6.9 points per game and McGuirl will knock down plenty of three-pointers. DaJuan Gordon earned 11 starts down the stretch of his freshman campaign and averaged 6.3 points per game. Fellow sophomores Montavious Murphy and Antonio Gordon will hold down the frontcourt. Murphy was a regular starter as a freshman and Antonio Gordon showed plenty of promise. Both are forwards who can shoot the ball and battle in the paint and K-State will need those sophomores to step up and embrace their larger roles. Meanwhile, the Wildcats will have to get production from their eight newcomers. Kaosi Ezeagu spent one season at UTEP and Carlton Linguard spent one season at Temple College and is regarded as one of the top junior college prospects coming into the Division I ranks. The 6-11 sophomore filled up the stat sheet at junior college and the hope is he can come close to replicating some of those numbers at K-State. Rudi Williams is the other experienced newcomer and joins McGuirl as the only upperclassmen on the roster. He too is one of the best junior college recruits this year and the 6-3 point guard should be running the show from day one. The recruiting class does not have a big time name who will take the conference by storm as a freshman, but all five are solid players who can find a role on this team right away....

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT..."

[California Shocker]

So we could be Top 84?

[ShockAzs]

So we could be Top 84?

Certainly. In fact, I'm sayin....79?

[Wuzee]

We're No. 84.

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18688

[ShockAzs]

Close. But if we have a season, hopefully we'll be a bubble team by postseason

[wichshock65]

Close. But if we have a season, hopefully we'll be a bubble team by postseason

Whatever, we'll be top 25 after we win Battle For Atlantis!

[WstateU]

[Shockm]

Nope.

We Were next. SMU was predicted above us. I ended up being right.

[ShockAzs]

We Were next. SMU was predicted above us. I ended up being right.

Good one! Now I can't wait crush smu.

[WuShock Reaper]

Wichita State Shockers

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18688

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #84
Conference Rank: #5 American

"Wichita State started last season 15-1. Things did not go nearly as well in American Athletic Conference play though. But for a team that had to settle for a trip to the NIT in 2019, it was a solid overall season. Looking ahead to 2020-2021, the Shockers have some concerns. Coach Greg Marshall’s team was hit hard by transfers and he was forced to go out and build a large class of newcomers to help fill the holes....

Projection:
Dexter Dennis and Tyson Etienne are the top returning scorers. Dennis, a 6-5 junior, averaged 9.2 points per game and is a very good rebounder for a guard. Etienne earned 17 starts as a freshman and tallied 9.4 points per game. Both are solid outside shooters who give Wichita State proven options on the wing. Trey Wade is a versatile 6-6 forward who can shoot the ball and help out on the glass. The lone returning scholarship senior on the roster, Wade is ready to be a leader on the floor. Juniors Morris Udeze and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler are tough interior players who will need to play larger roles after averaging around ten minutes each in 2019-2020. The newcomers, especially four of those with some experience, will play a big role for Wichita State this season. Alterique Gilbert, who comes from Connecticut as a graduate transfer, will step right into the starting point guard position. The former McDonald’s All-American averaged 8.2 points and 3.6 assists with the Huskies last season. Craig Porter and Trevin Wade both had great seasons at the junior college ranks and will add a couple more potent options on the perimeter. Clarence Jackson is another tough forward who spent last season at a junior college. With a few freshmen who can battle in the paint as well, Wichita State has the depth they need to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It will come down to how quickly all those new players can fit into Coach Marshall’s system.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18720

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #68
Conference Rank: #1 Conference USA

"Western Kentucky has been moving in the right direction and garnering plenty of headlines under Coach Rick Stansbury. Despite all of that positive play and three straight 20-win seasons, Hilltopper fans are still waiting for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2013. And back then WKU was a 16-seed. This time around the expectations are higher and early indications are that this could be one of those very popular 11 or 12 seeds to pull off an upset or two in the NCAA Tournament....

Projection:
Western Kentucky still managed 20 wins last season despite the shortened campaign and the absence of Charles Bassey for most of the year. The 6-11 junior was the conference’s Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman. As a sophomore last season he played in just ten games due to an injury. In those ten games he averaged 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. As long as the injury issues stay behind him, Bassey will be the favorite to take home Player of the Year accolades in 2020-2021. With Bassey out, quite a few other players stepped up last season. Taveion Hollingsworth led the squad with 16.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals and fellow senior guard Josh Anderson added 10.1 points per game. Jordan Rawls played well as a freshman, tallying 7.9 points and 2.2 assists. He will likely play in a reserve role again in 2020-2021 thanks to the addition of Kenny Cooper, a transfer from Lipscomb. The graduate transfer tallied 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior with the Bisons last season. The backcourt also adds a great shooter in Luke Frampton. The backcourt can carry this team, but they will not because of the return of Bassey and the emergence of Carson Williams. Williams is an undersized forward, but he is tough on the glass and proved to be a great scoring option. This Western Kentucky team has an immense amount of talent and plenty of depth. As long as everybody stays healthy, anything less than a Conference USA title would be disappointing.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA..."

[WuShock Reaper]

Cincinnati Bearcats

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18729

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #59
Conference Rank: #4 American Athletic Conference

" Cincinnati had a solid first season under the direction of head coach John Brannen who came over from Northern Kentucky prior to the 2019-20 season. Brannen took over for Mick Cronin who left the Bearcats for the head coaching position at UCLA. Cincinnati grinded out a 20-win season, including 13 wins in conference play and probably would have found their way into the NCAA Tournament if it was not for the Covid-19 pandemic....

Projection:
There will be plenty of new faces for Coach Brannen and his staff heading into the 2020-21 season as Cincinnati will welcome seven new players to the program. Keith Williams and Chris Vogt are the top two returning scorers for the Bearcats. Williams averaged 12.6 points per game and made 43.5 percent of his shots from the field last season. Vogt is an experienced low post presence that averaged 11 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. It will be important for Vogt to get his rebounding totals up closer to ten per game to make for the loss of Tre Scott. Defense has always been a staple of the Cincinnati program over the years as the Bearcats held opposing teams to a 39.8 percent field goal percentage last season. However, there was a little bit of an issue with scoring defense as Cincinnati allowed 67.1 points per game, which ranked seventh overall in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats will need to shore some things up offensively as they ranked 259th in three-point shooting, 275th in free-throw shooting, and 289th in turnovers. If Cincinnati can put things together quickly with the new players offensively, then they should be able to hover around 20 wins and find their way into at least the NIT this season.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

Utah Utes

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18730

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #58
Conference Rank: #8 Pac-12 Conference

"It was an up and down 2019-20 season for the Utah Utes as they were only one game above .500 overall and won just seven games in conference play. The signature wins for the Utes included a 69-66 win over Kentucky on December 18, 2019 along with a 102-95 win over in-state rival BYU earlier in December. Overall, head coach Larry Krystkowiak has a very good program at Utah despite the challenges of last season with a very youthful roster. Now, the challenge for Krystkowiak and his staff will be to take that next step with this young core of players and get back to winning 20 plus games a year....

Projection:
Timmy Allen should be one of the top players in all of the Pac-12 heading into the 2020-21 season. Allen averaged 17.3 points per game last season along with 7.3 rebounds per games to lead the Utes in both categories. One area of Allen’s game that does need to be cleaned up is turnovers as he had 95 of those and just 92 assists. Rylan Jones, Riley Battin, and Branden Carlson will also return this season in the starting lineup as all three players will be looking to take a step forward with their offensive production with opposing teams focusing a lot of attention on Timmy Allen. Alfonso Plummer should continue to provide some instant offense off the bench as he averaged 8.4 points per game and knocked down 42 percent of his three-point shots during the 2019-20 season. Consistency on the defensive end of the court will have to improve for Utah in order for them to jump to the top half of the Pac-12 conference this season. If that happens then a trip to the NIT should be in play for the Utes.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT..."

[WuShock Reaper]

Ole Miss Rebels

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/18736

2020-2021 Overall Rank: #53
Conference Rank: #7 SEC

"Mississippi took a step back in Coach Kermit Davis’ second season leading the program. After reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2019, the Rebels fell to 15-17 overall last season. But that is about what most expected from Ole Miss last season and the expectations are growing heading into the 2020-2021 campaign. Losing Breein Tyree leaves a hole in the scoring department, but there should be plenty of players ready to step up and help fill that void....

Projection:
Senior Devontae Shuler is the team’s top returning scorer at 11.7 points per game. He also added 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Shuler’s scoring efficiency took a step back last season since he was asked to take more shots, but he still had a very good season and is more than ready to take the big shots for the Rebels. The frontcourt was a concern heading into last season, but KJ Buffen and Khadim Sy stepped into starting roles and did quite well. There is room for improvement on the glass and defensively, but those two will provide an interior scoring threat. Luis Rodriguez took a step forward last year and a trio of sophomores will look for more playing time this season as well. But the newcomers could have the larger impact. Arizona State transfer Romello White will immediately help with the poor rebounding and add a much needed shot blocking threat as well. After averaging 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds with the Sun Devils last season, White will be looking to make a huge splash in Oxford. Fellow graduate transfer Dimencio Vaughn averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds with Rider last season. The 6-5 wing will have one chance to show what he can do against tougher competition in the SEC and he will want to make the most of that opportunity. Jarkel Joiner will find a spot in the rotation as well. He spent two years at CSU Bakersfield where he earned First-Team All-WAC honors in 2018-2019 behind 18.6 points per game. This Mississippi team has talent. Some of it is unproven at this level, but it is there. This team will not lack for scoring options and the addition of White should make a huge difference on the other side of the floor. A trip to the NCAA Tournament may be asking a little bit too much, but Ole Miss can get very close.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT..."