Barstool Basketball Mailbag: Let's Argue About Every Single Thing Across The Country With The Season Starting This Month
It's less than three weeks until the start of the season so decided to fire up the mailbag on a Friday. We got plenty to argue about and discuss, so we'll get into it. Remember once the season starts I tend to do these every Friday. You can submit your questions via Twitter.
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With or without McClung I had them as my clear 3rd team in the Big 12 behind Baylor and Kansas. They are in that same tier as like a West Virginia, I just like what they have more, especially with the addition of McClung and I'm not betting against Beard. I actually think Texas Tech is a top-10 team in the country. Yeah, they are going to rely on two transfers - McClung and Marcus Santos-Silva (VCU) but both really fit Tech's system. What I want to see is how Beard develops and uses 5-star Nimari Burnett. With the addition of McClung, you don't have to start Burnett right off the year and can let him get used to college hoops. Or he can go with a 3 or even 4-guard lineup with McClung, Burnett and Kyler Edwards/Shannon. They have the depth, they have the versatility. I'll pick them 3rd in the Big 12 and have them right around 9 or 10 in preseason rankings in the country.
Well, good news is it's tough to shoot worse than 28% from three as a team like they did last year. The question is who improved though? Most of the guards shot 30%. The two bigs attempted 1 three combined between the two of them. This tends to be opposite of how I think, which is why Huggins deserve some credit here - they'll still be good. They suck at shooting! They still will suck at shooting. But he's adapted. They aren't pressing. They don't have Jevon Carter out there to create that full court defensive havoc. Instead he's going to just beat the shit out of people in the halfcourt and let the two bigs dominate the offensive glass. Now, they'll be a top-15 team in the country, but I think there's a cap because of the lack of shooting. That's why they can't win a title. That's why I'd have them pretty solidly 4th in the Big 12 and a little bit behind Texas Tech.
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Yeah this race in the middle of the Big East is beyond fascinating for me. They are all the same tier pretty much right now and trying to figure out the order is going to be a mess. For me I like Seton Hall the most after Nova and Creighton. I know they lose Myles Powell, but they still return a decent amount and more important Kevin Willard always adapts his defense and has Seton Hall as a strong defensive team. The other thing is they can move the ball a bit more without Powell there. We see teams sometimes defer to a great scorer like Powell and let him go 1 on 1 more than they should, simply because he can. Key is going to be if Bryce Aiken can stay healthy. If he can do that, they'll be fine. Mamu is a pro and a unique offensive player from that big man spot. I also really like Rhoden/Reynolds to take a jump.
I'd probably go in order: Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, UConn, Xavier, Butler, St. John's
No, UConn is not winning the Big East. They aren't better than Nova. They aren't better than Creighton. They aren't winning the Big East, a league where you play a true round robin and each schedule is fair. I would say UConn has a better chance at missing the NCAA Tournament than they do winning the conference. In terms of the MAAC? Siena, baby. Jalen Pickett is legit NBA talent and that's rare in the MAAC.
Yeah, I mean force is a stretch. Dayton will be good, but they aren't the favorite to win the A-10. I think they are way of like a top-60 team in the country vs anything close to what they were last year. Yes, Obi was that important and that unique. Now that said, they can win the A-10, because it's pretty open at the top even if Richmond is the favorite. Jalen Crutcher should get more respect nationally. He's a hell of a guard that averaged 15 per game last year and will be the No. 1 option this year. Him and Ibi Watson do create a nice 1-2 combo, but yeah, Toppin was the catalyst for everything because of his ability to spread out the offense and attack as a playmaker from the big spot. I'd have them behind Richmond and probably St. Louis in the A-10.
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Think it'll end up being Devin Askew-BJ Boston-Terrence Clarke-Keion Brooks-Olivier Sarr. Whatever it is, it will be Brooks at the 4. He can't play the 3 spot this year and try to go big. This team is going to be based on versatility and length. Use that to your advantage.
It's Syracuse. They are going to take some shitty losses early, then they'll beat like Duke and be on the bubble for 2 months straight. It's what they do. Alan Griffin, the transfer from Illinois should help and I do like Joe Girard a lot. But they don't really have depth, which is a bit irrelevant typically because the 2-3 zone eliminates foul trouble usually. But in a year where we don't know what to expect, I'd want a bit more depth. Also the 2-3 zone is going to be different with two 6'10" guys on the roster, but one being Dolezaj, who isn't known for defense. We also know that Boeheim does like to run an ISO offense and that's where Girard is going to be important. He has shooters around him in Boeheim and Griffin (along with himself) but he needs to keep being the playmaker like we've seen previous Syracuse guards. If they can improve the top of the zone defensively, they'll be in the top-half of the ACC. But they are in that tier with Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech.