Oh, you higher consider it, hoops season is on the horizon, and my pleasure meter is off the charts.
Preseason practices are rolling, exhibition video games are across the nook, and I am telling you, this season goes to be electrical!
We have got all the pieces from UConn chasing that legendary three-peat to loaded conferences, portal wildness, new-look powerhouses and diaper dandies able to make some noise. There’s a lot happening, even I am making an attempt to maintain monitor of all of the drama.
However hey, I am like a bear popping out of hibernation, and it is going to be nonstop hoops heaven for the subsequent six months! Let’s dive into 12 issues I am fired up about for the 2024-25 season, child!
Bounce to:Diaper dandy alert | Cannot-miss gamesMid-majors to look at | Legendary coaches
1. UConn’s quest for the trifecta
Can UConn do it? The three-peat, child! The Huskies have dominated with six titles since 1999. They’re the workforce of this era, little doubt. They steamrolled the event final season profitable by a mean of 23.3 factors, however can they hold that mojo going underneath head coach Danny Hurley? Solely UCLA underneath the legendary John Wood has ever achieved it — seven straight, child! Buckle up, that is going to be a wild experience.
2. Prime-time gamers in energy conferences
We’re speaking big-time stars like RJ Davis staying at North Carolina, and Hunter Dickinson anchoring Kansas. These guys can shift the stability of energy like a wrecking ball!
Cooper Flagg at Duke — the freshman phenom everybody’s buzzing about — can he dwell as much as the hype?
And do not sleep on Purdue’s Braden Smith or Rutgers’ two projected NBA lottery picks, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, from the Large Ten.
The SEC is a monster league, and Alabama’s Mark Sears returns from the Crimson Tide’s first Ultimate 4 look.
Overlook about getting something by three-time Large East Defensive Participant of the 12 months in Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner. He offers the Bluejays a shot at overtaking UConn, which has its personal star in Alex Karaban.
The star energy in these conferences is thru the roof!
3. Diaper dandy alert
Cooper Flagg is the diaper dandy of the 12 months, no query! However remember about Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper; UConn sharpshooter Liam McNeeley; Maryland middle Derik Queen, who boasts an excellent big-man ability set; and Baylor’s highest-ranked recruit in over a decade in VJ Edgecombe.
These younger fellas are going to gentle it up, and I will be watching each minute of it. It may be unbelievable!
4. The place did he go?
The switch portal is the Wild West, my associates. We have got stars comparable to Kadary Richmond heading to St. John’s, AJ Storr bolstering Kansas, Oumar Ballo transferring to Indiana, Johnell Davis taking up the guard spot at Arkansas and Norchad Omier anchoring the paint at Baylor.
With over 2,000 gamers working by way of the portal, it is like musical chairs on the market. Chemistry is the important thing, and we’ll see who jells first.
5. New coaches, new faces, new locations
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
Oh, you bought to adore it, child! John Calipari’s taking up Arkansas, Mark Pope is at Kentucky, Dusty Might at Michigan — these guys are shaking up the panorama.
We have even bought Eric Musselman transferring cross-country to USC, and Steve Lutz, who has received at the least 22 video games in his three seasons as a head coach, taking his model to Oklahoma State within the highly effective Large 12.
Different energy convention groups with new sideline generals embody Stanford with Kyle Smith, Vanderbilt with Mark Byington, Washington with Danny Sprinkle, SMU with Andy Enfield and West Virginia with Darian DeVries.
How will these new hires deal with the stress? I am unable to wait to see the drama unfold.
6. Cannot-miss video games, child
The heavyweight matchups are stacked this season! North Carolina at Kansas on Nov. 8, Duke vs. Kentucky on Nov. 12 in Atlanta — I will be glued to my seat for these. These are the early-season video games that separate the pretenders from the contenders in March, child.
Nov. 9: Auburn at HoustonNov. 9: Arkansas vs. Baylor (Dallas, Texas)Nov. 22: Duke at ArizonaNov. 25: Iowa State vs. Auburn (Maui, Hawaii)Nov. 26: Alabama vs. Houston (Las Vegas, Nevada)Dec. 4: Baylor at UConnDec. 7: Kentucky vs. Gonzaga (Seattle, Washington)Dec. 8: UConn at Texas
7. Convention realignment insanity
Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the Large 12 — these strikes are shaking up rivalries and traditions! With three of the highest 5 groups from the Large 12 within the AP preseason ballot, it is going to be powerful to rise to the highest.
The Large Ten is getting stacked, too, with Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, and the ACC is including Stanford, Cal and SMU. I imply, how will these groups handle these cross-country highway journeys? It is a complete new ballgame.
8. Be careful for the mid-majors
Always remember in regards to the Cinderella tales. McNeese, Grand Canyon, Saint Louis — these mid-majors are loaded with expertise and able to steal one of many 37 at-large bids come March. I really like a superb underdog story.
9. Large Ten’s title drought — will it finish?
Large Ten groups have not received a nationwide title since Michigan State in 2000, falling in eight possibilities since then. Purdue has a shot, Indiana and UCLA are within the combine, however can any of them lastly convey a championship again to the convention? It is a bit of a protracted shot, nevertheless it’s why we play the video games!
10. Legendary coaches nonetheless doing their factor
Tom Izzo, Invoice Self, Rick Pitino — these Corridor of Fame legends are nonetheless main the cost. Izzo is a machine at Michigan State, Self has Kansas stacked, and Pitino is doing huge issues at St. John’s.
And certainly one of my good associates, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, runs a pointy program having guided the Volunteers to their highest end within the AP ballot at No. 5 final season.
I can also’t neglect about Gonzaga’s Mark Few, who yearly builds contenders on the West Coast, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, who has turned Houston right into a powerhouse once more, Oregon’s Dana Altman, who has received 20 or extra video games in each season because the Geese’ head coach, and Arkansas’ John Calipari, who tops the listing for many wins by an energetic coach at 855.
Merely put, these guys know find out how to win.
11. NIL is a sport changer
Gamers are making financial institution now with these NIL offers! The stress, the alternatives, it is a complete new dynamic. Coaches are like normal managers now, making an attempt to stability all the pieces. The expertise pool is deep, and the stakes are excessive!
Even with all these modifications within the school athletics panorama, I am telling you, the product on the ground is as stronger because it’s ever been! The expertise, the competitors, the thrill — it is off the charts, child! And guess what? The followers are tuning in additional than ever. The TV scores simply hold going up, up, up! So long as the return on funding is there, the inventory in school athletics goes to maintain rising to the highest. It is a slam dunk for everybody concerned.
12. New metrics for Choice Sunday
Extra information, extra drama! BartTorvik’s metrics are within the combine, and we have the “Wins Above Bubble” stat, child! This may make Choice Sunday even wilder — who’s in, who’s out — it is at all times a nail-biter!
Buckle up, my associates. This season goes to be one for the ages! We have got storylines galore, expertise in all places, and I am right here for each second of it. LET’S GOOOOO!
