As we look beyond the summer, into the 2015-16 season, there’s no one team nearly as loaded as Kentucky was a year ago, which opens the door for multiple teams to lay claim to the No. 1 spot in the preseason Top 25 poll.
I personally have the Maryland Terrapins atop my poll heading into the season after the addition of former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon, but there is no shortage of teams that could make a case to start at No. 1.
And while the final vote is more likely to narrow the group to a few teams, here are 10 programs that could at least make a valid case to start the season on top:
Maryland Terrapins
Mark Turgeon went from the hot seat to the coach of a team that can win it all within a year. How? Well, the most important aspect was that Melo Trimble was better than anyone anticipated at the point guard spot -- and he opted to return to College Park for his sophomore campaign. Jake Layman is also returning after flirting with the NBA, and the Terps added a pair of much-needed big men: freshman Diamond Stone (ESPN’s No. 6 overall player) and transfer Robert Carter, who averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds at Georgia Tech as a sophomore.
But what put Maryland in the No. 1 spot for this writer was the recent addition of former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon, who is eligible to play this season due to the graduate transfer rule. The Terps will also have quality depth with Dion Wiley, Jared Nickens, Michal Cekovsky and Damonte Dodd likely coming off the bench.
You’ll see many with the Tar Heels as the preseason No. 1, and you can certainly make a valid argument. Roy Williams has a veteran team with starters Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks all upperclassmen. Justin Jackson has a year under his belt, and while J.P. Tokoto left early, expect Theo Pinson to slide right in and give even more to the Tar Heels.
The guard spot alongside Paige is somewhat uncertain, but there are plenty of candidates -- Nate Britt, Joel Berry II and incoming freshman Kenny Williams -- who might be the missing knockdown shooter that this team has needed. Depth is also not an issue with guys like Isaiah Hicks and Joel James returning along the front line.
Sure, the Cyclones lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, but Fred Hoiberg’s team brought back the majority of what mattered from a group that won 25 games and went 12-6 in Big 12 play. Georges Niang is a potential first-team All-American and Monte Morris is one of the top point guards in the country. Athletic big man Jameel McKay averaged 11 points and 7.6 boards despite only being eligible after the first semester.
Naz Long is back and will provide long-range shooting, and Iowa State will add two transfers -- former Marquette power guard Deonte Burton and ex-Oregon State guard Hallice Cooke -- as well as freshman point guard Nick Noskowiak (ESPN, No. 76). The biggest question here is whether Hoiberg sticks around or heads to Chicago and coaches the Bulls.
The Jayhawks still aren't necessarily overpowering, at least by NBA talent standards. But Bill Self will have veterans now with Perry Ellis, Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr. and Brannen Greene. Yes, he lost Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander, but let’s face it: Alexander was a non-factor for much of the season and Oubre was up-and-down.
Cheick Diallo (ESPN, No. 7) should give KU what it thought it was going to get from Alexander (a tough, hard-playing rebounder) and Carlton Bragg (ESPN, No. 21) is a talented and skilled freshman forward who has tons of potential. The Jayhawks also have guards Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk with a year under their belts, and Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas and Hunter Mickelson are veterans who will help up front.
It was just a month ago that we were wondering whether Coach K would have a top 25-caliber team -- but everything changed quickly. The Blue Devils persuaded talented point guard Derryck Thornton (ESPN, No. 17) to commit and reclassify from the 2016 class to the 2015 class (which means he’ll likely start in Durham this season), and they also added long and talented wing Brandon Ingram (ESPN, No. 3). Mike Krzyzewski will have no shortage of talented wings with Ingram, fellow frosh Luke Kennard (ESPN, No. 24), Grayson Allen and Matt Jones. Duke won’t be overpowering up front, but the Blue Devils still have Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee and add athletic 6-foot-10 Chase Jeter (ESPN, No. 11).
John Calipari and the Cats will reload, but this roster won’t look anything like last season’s after losing seven players early to the NBA. There’s just not the high-end talent, or the size and depth -- especially up front. The backcourt will feature Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe (ESPN, No. 13), but there’s no big wing, so look for combo forward Alex Poythress to fill that role coming off a major knee injury. The frontcourt will feature skilled and talented forward Skal Labissiere (ESPN, No. 2) and athletic big man Marcus Lee -- who should finally get his chance. UK will have freshman wing Charles Matthews (ESPN, No. 42) and guys like guard Dominique Hawkins and face-up forward Derek Willis for depth. The team is certainly talented enough, but not by Calipari standards.
The Cavs would have likely been No. 1 if athletic wing Justin Anderson came back to Charlottesville, but he decided to head to the NBA. First of all, Virginia has Tony Bennett, and Bennett has Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, London Perrantes, Marial Shayok, Evan Nolte, Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins back in the fold. Last I checked that’s still eight of his top 10 players from a year ago. Brogdon and Gill are fifth-year seniors, Tobey and Nolte are seniors and Perrantes will be a junior. The Cavs are a veteran, well-coached team that is used to winning after the past two seasons.
I can’t believe I’m putting in a team that didn’t even make the NCAA tournament a year ago, but this roster stacks up with just about anyone after Cuonzo Martin added two potential one-and-done guys: local big man Ivan Rabb (ESPN, No. 8) and Georgia power wing Jaylen Brown (ESPN, No. 4). Point guard Tyrone Wallace flirted with leaving for the NBA, but decided to come back and won’t have nearly as much pressure on him this season because he’ll have so many weapons. Jabari Bird should be 100 percent, and he and Jordan Mathews are both capable scorers and shooters from deep. There should be depth, as well, with Georgetown’s Stephen Domingo eligible and talented 7-footer Kameron Rooks healthy.
The Shockers’ backcourt of Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet is back and up there with any in the country. Gregg Marshall returned to Wichita, as well, after passing on a ton of money to go to Alabama. Wichita also added what could be a key piece in Cleveland State grad transfer Anton Grady, who will be effective as long as he stays healthy. The 6-8, 225-pound forward averaged 14.3 points and 7.9 boards last season in the Horizon League. He’ll help ease the departure of Darius Carter, but Wichita will also struggle to replace do-it-all guard Tekele Cotton. Marshall will need one of Shaquille Morris or Rashard Kelly to make a jump from a year ago, or freshman forward Markis McDuffie (ESPN, No. 93) to come in and make an immediate impact.
This one may be a little bit of a stretch, but the roster -- especially the starting lineup -- can stack up with just about anyone. Yogi Ferrell is a senior point guard who thought about leaving, and he has a couple of wings who can really shoot it in James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson. Troy Williams is a tough matchup and Nick Zeisloft returns to give Tom Crean another shooter. The loss of Hanner Mosquera-Perea could hurt a bit, but as long as talented freshman big man Thomas Bryant (ESPN, No. 20) stays healthy and out of foul trouble, he’s a major upgrade and will give IU a much-needed threat down low.