Today I come to you with my 2019-20 men's NCAA basketball preview. I feel like I write this sentence every year when I do this preview, but I simply do not know too terribly much about the upcoming season. There is so much turnover, new players and super duper 5 star players that come over to do the whole "one and done" deal. Also, I know that nothing big has happened to the schools involved in the FBI wiretap ordeal, but that will come sooner rather than later, especially at Kansas.

Anyway, I am going to go about this preview kind of like I do my football preview, highlighting the major conferences top teams, pick a winner, talk about some solid teams outside of power conferences, pick a player of the year, the final four and the champ. With that being said, and again, talk this with a major grain of salt, lets get to it.

Somehow the AAC is a "major" conference when it comes to college basketball. Houston has been a pretty good, perennial top 25 team since Kelvin Sampson has taken over the program. UConn is not what they used to be. Same for Wichita State. Cincinnati is always competitive. But the best team is Memphis. Penny Hardaway has turned into one hell of a recruiter, he got the top kid to commit, and he is the newest coach to adopt the "one and done" era of recruiting, and he is doing it as well as the best of them. Memphis is back, and it is due to Penny. They will win the AAC with relative ease.

The ACC is loaded as always. Duke has one of the best classes in the country, and they just keep bringing in top classes, and see no shade thrown their way like other programs that recruit "one and done" freshman do. But, Duke is good. So is UNC. They have a really solid all around squad. They have great freshman, solid upperclassmen and just win all the time. Louisville has a ton of hype around them, and they look to have a really good team coming into this year. Maybe, just maybe, the Rick Pitino stuff is behind them. Virginia won the title last year, and while they lost a ton of talent, they are a typical rebuild, not reload, type team. They also have a ton of depth just waiting their turn. FSU just got a big time commit, they have a ton of length and they have a good head coach. But when I get down to it, it is going to come down to Duke and UNC, and I, once again, am going with UNC to win the ACC. They have the most talent, depth and experience of any team in the ACC.

The Big 12 is KU's to lose, if they don't get sanctioned to hell. But, the Big 12 is a little more competitive than it has been in the past. KU is good, but so is Kansas State. Oklahoma always seems to put up a fight. Oklahoma State is always a tough spot to play, no matter how good or bad they are. Texas Tech was in the title game last year, and probably should have won. Texas is okay. Same with West Virginia. Hell, even TCU is a 20 win team now. But, until they get sanctioned, KU will win the Big 12. They need to make up for not winning it last year.

The Big East isn’t what it used to be, but there’s some okay squads. Patrick Ewing has Georgetown getting back to respectability. St John’s lost Chris Mullin, but they’re feisty. Creighton seems to put together shockingly good seasons time to time. Marquette has the potential to be really good. Xavier is scrappy as hell. Seton Hall is making a mini comeback. But come on, the Big East is owned by Villanova. Jay Wright is still the coach, and as long as he’s around, Villanova will continue to be dominant. They also have solid experience on their squad.

The Pac 12 is weird in both football and basketball. They have name recognition, but they always blow it it seems. Arizona had an immense amount of talent a few years back, and they blew it. They are also on that FBI list. Arizona State always starts strong and tails off. Oregon gets top flight recruits, and they either fizzle or get hurt. Stanford is not a power anymore. Washington has gotten major recruits, but it hasn’t really translated into on court dominance. UCLA has a new coach again, and they are still rebuilding. I just really don’t know what to make of this conference. I’m going to go with Oregon, they just got another 5 star guy, but this is the pick I’m most leery of.

The SEC is all about Kentucky and Auburn. I know Tennessee was really good last year, but they have a ton to replace. Arkansas plays hard, but they don’t have the talent. The Mississippi schools are blah. Missouri’s best recruits are gone, and didn’t do much when they were there. LSU couldn’t win with Ben Simmons. Florida is good, but not anywhere near the top. I fully believe in Auburn, and that bums me out because their coach is a rat. But, Kentucky has a whole new crop of guys, and while John Calipari can recruit, he’s not a great in game coach. And Auburn has some key guys back, and good players coming in. It’s a changing of the guard in the SEC.

Finishing up with the major conferences, we have the Big Ten, my conference. I mean, and again I hate that i have to say this, Michigan State is easily the preseason favorite. They have a great amount of talent back and they have good freshman coming in. They shouldn’t have a sports program because of their heinous crimes. Until that is fully realized, Michigan State will run the Big Ten this year. But, there are some other good teams. The University of Ohio State will be better, and they were a tournament team last year. Michigan has a new coach, of which I’m very excited for, and a slew of starters back. They won’t be as good as last year, but I still think they’ll be good defensively, and make shots. Maryland has a very solid team, and they are well coached. Illinois has to be better than last year. Their coach is too good to keep being below .500. Nebraska has the talent to be a tournament team. Indiana is going to get back in the conversation soon. Purdue is a very, very good team that does all the little things really well. Minnesota is tough. And Iowa plays muddy basketball that frustrates opponents. But, unfortunately, the Big Ten is MSU’s to lose.

As far as some teams outside major conferences, there is obviously Gonzaga. They’re no longer the lovable Cinderella’s they used to be. They’re a national power. Dayton has a solid team. Campbell College has a ton of undersized scorers. Western Kentucky oddly gets top flight recruits to commit there, and I think the one they got this year is actually going to play. One of the Ivy League schools, most likely Harvard, will scare someone in the tournament. Nevada has the most coveted head coach by power schools right now. And Saint Mary’s always wins 20 games and always scare Gonzaga.

As far as award winners, for freshman of the year, I’m going with the Wiseman kid at Memphis. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. I also think Memphis will win another award, and that will be Penny Hardaway as coach of the year. As far as player of the year, which is so hard to pair down so many good players, I guess I’ll go with the Winston kid at MSU, everyone else is picking him, and I’m pretty sure he’s a senior, and this is usually an award for longevity in college basketball. My final four is UNC, MSU, Auburn, and my surprise, Memphis. I love Memphis right now. The title game will pit UNC and Auburn, and I’m going with the Tarheels. They are so, so deep and so talented and they are due.

Okay, there’s my men’s college basketball preview. Take it as you will. Basketball is coming people. Time to get pumped up.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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