With Tuesday night’s matchup between Kentucky and LSU (7 p.m. EST, ESPN) featuring a battle of two of college basketball’s best frontcourts, I figured it was a good time to provide my full set of rankings. Which group of players is most difficult to stop in the post? Which team boasts the best rim protectors? Which provide matchup nightmares due to their ability to hit from long distance?
My picks are based around production per 40 minutes, and overall impact of the frontcourt on team success. Depending on the program’s particular style of play, small forwards could be included.
Let’s now take a look at the top big-man groups in the game today.
Kentucky has as deep and talented a frontcourt as there is in college basketball. It all starts with freshman Karl-Anthony Towns. If you look at his production per 40 minutes, he would be averaging better than 18 points, 12 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game. But what stands out is Towns' versatility. He’s a 6-foot-11 center who can catch it on either block and score as well as finish over either shoulder. You can put him in ball screen, pick-and-pop situations, and he can shoot it from 3-point range. Towns also has terrific hands and a great feel for the game.
Willie Cauley-Stein is one of the nation’s most versatile defenders. He can guard anybody, from a 2-guard like Providence’s LaDontae Henton to post players. The junior gives UK the ability to switch ball screens in late-game situations. He’s competing with greater energy and has the ability to run down plays in transition. Cauley-Stein protects the front of the rim and now is showing a focus about him that he did not have in his prior two seasons.
Trey Lyles might be one of the most dynamic hybrid power forward prospects in the country. He has instincts to rebound the basketball, the ability to shot-fake and put it on the floor, shoot the ball to 18 feet and is very tough. Dakari Johnson has improved his ability to run the floor and Marcus Lee shows the potential to defend multiple positions.
Not many teams in the country have five frontcourt players who are that talented, that versatile and that committed to playing to their strengths.
Frank Kaminsky is a unique talent who fits Wisconsin’s system. He picked the right program to enhance his varied skill set. Kaminsky has great hands, terrific footwork and the ball skills of a guard. He can rebound and initiate the break, can start on the wing and drive on you, can catch it in the swing spot in transition and beat you off the bounce to the rim. He’s most dangerous any time he’s a screener, whether it’s on the block -- freeing the wing scorer up, playing the two-man game -- or in the slot or trail spot. Duke’s Jahlil Okafor is the sexy pick for the Wooden Award, but Kaminsky is probably having the best season of anyone in the country.
Nigel Hayes is one of the most improved players I’ve seen this season. He’s another player who fits the Wisconsin system well. He’s worked at his game, which has enabled him to put more pressure on the defense. Last season as a freshman, he had the ability to create angles on the block, pivot and find ways to score around the basket. He still has that skill set, but now he can face up, shoot the ball and shot-fake and put the ball on the floor. A relentless rebounder, he rebounds balls out of his area.
Sam Dekker gives Wisconsin versatility. He can play the wing, but in the swing offense and in different sets that the Badgers use, he can play any position on the floor. Dekker is big, strong, physical and has bounce. He does a great job of running the floor and is another player, depending on the matchup, who can take smaller players down to the block or bigger players away from the basket. He’s a very difficult player to prepare for. Vitto Brown is another player who brings energy off the bench.
Kyle Wiltjer is one of the toughest matchups in the country. Coming from Kentucky, people perceived him as a step-out 3-point shooter and a player who can play off of ball screens. But he’s balanced offensively -- Wiltjer can score on the block, can move his man off the bounce, use his shot-fake to set up his drive, has terrific hands and is a strong rebounder. Wiltjer is a very difficult player to defend because of his skill set.
Domantas Sabonis comes off the bench for the Zags, but he’s a relentless rebounder with an instinct for the ball. The ball just finds him on both ends of the floor. He averages a rebound every three minutes. He finishes around the basket and is a hard-driving, attacking player who plays to, and through, contact. Sabonis does a nice job of running the floor, though what makes him special is how competitive he is. He has the competitive spirit of a senior, yet he’s only a freshman.
Przemek Karnowski, as I’ve said all season, is a mountain masquerading as a man. He’s a huge human being with very soft hands and a feel around the basket. He has a jump hook, carves out space, has improved his ability to provide ball screens and he rebounds balls out of his area. Karnowski is just a physical specimen. One of the most underrated aspects of his game is his ability to pass the ball.
The Blue Devils are on the list because they have the best low-post scorer in college basketball: Jahlil Okafor. Okafor is not only a high-percentage shooter (66 percent from the field), but he’s starting to catch the ball where he wants it, when he wants it. He has terrific hands and footwork and is an excellent passer out of double-teams. Duke's post-action has improved, and so has Okafor's assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4-to-2.7). Okafor is more explosive than he looks and is a very good rebounder. He’s not as physical as you’d like, but how much do you expect from a freshman? There’s no denying his talent, skill, hands or footwork. He can score on anyone.
Amile Jefferson is a perfect complement to Okafor in that he’s an active and alert rebounder, a good help defender and a better ball-screen defender. Jefferson can defend multiple positions, competes with a good motor and plays to his strengths.
Marshall Plumlee brings energy to the Duke frontcourt and is a walking contradiction to the finesse of Okafor. His energy makes a difference for the Blue Devils. I think he single-handedly turned the momentum in the St. John’s game around with his toughness and effort. He’s a valuable piece.
Justise Winslow has had three consecutive double-doubles after hitting the freshman wall. He can swing to the 4, where he can use his explosiveness and athleticism around the basket against bigger players. Winslow also can take smaller players down on the block, where he dominates the opposition on the glass.
Brice Johnson is starting to embrace his potential. He is long, has good hands and is one of the best runners in college hoops. He needs to demand the basketball more and pursue the ball on both ends consistently. Almost impossible to keep off the glass when he’s engaged, Johnson has the ability to rip it, face up and sink the 12-to-15 foot shot. His quickness works against bigger defenders.
Kennedy Meeks is a wide body with terrific hands. Although he needs an angle, he’s learning to move his man. If the ball hits his hands, it’s his. He’s an excellent defensive rebounder who uses his body and strength to offensive rebound. A good screener, he has strong enough hands and footwork to slip if the defense extends as Marcus Paige comes off some sort of stagger screen.
The X factor of the offense for North Carolina is Isaiah Hicks, who is coming off his best game as a Tar Heel against Boston College (21 points on 7-of-10 shooting). Hicks has a feel for how to score. He can get to the offensive glass, is skilled enough to catch it in the high-post and drive it. Hicks can face-up in the midpost and hit that 12-to-15 footer. He is explosive and uses his quickness to get angles to score. J.P. Tokoto is a small forward who does a nice job of rebounding the ball and can put it on the floor.
6. LSU Tigers
The dark horse on this list is LSU, based on Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin. Mickey is a human pogo stick. He runs, jumps, protects the rim, rebounds and finishes. He’s explosive off the ground and has fast-twitch fiber that makes him hard to keep off the glass. He’s learning to finish around the basket and, although he’s not a great shooter, finds a way to score buckets. Mickey has great anticipation off the ball, averaging just under a steal and 3.7 blocks a game. He’s a high-percentage shooter who is one of the tougher matchups in the nation.
With Elbert Robinson III out, Martin has been playing more minutes up front. He’s an explosive athlete who runs the floor and is hard to keep off the glass. Having to play more minutes at the four, he’s used his athleticism to create matchup nightmares at 6-10. He and Mickey combine for 33 points and 20 rebounds a game.
This is one of the most productive frontcourt combinations in the country. With their length, quickness and athleticism, it puts tremendous pressure on opposing big men. They are the closest thing to bookend forwards I’ve seen in years.
Honorable Mention: