Having already had my say on what's wrong with each team in Jeff Borzello's preseason Top 25, I now want to pivot in a somewhat more hopeful direction.
These are the teams and players that you probably aren't hearing a lot about but that, well, you should probably be hearing a lot about ...
ACC
Emerging team: Virginia Tech Hokies
Mike Young already had his team playing solid defense in the coach's first year in Blacksburg, and now the arrival of Kansas State transfer Cartier Diarra could provide a measurable boost for the offense. Yes, seeing Landers Nolley II transfer to Memphis was a blow, but Diarra may just do better than what we saw from Nolley last season in terms of shooting (42% on 2s and 32% on 3s), albeit at a lower volume. Plus, the Hokies already take excellent care of the ball.
Emerging player: Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Alvarado has the potential to make first-team All-ACC as a senior after being named to the third team a year ago. A workhorse on defense who posted a top-60 steal rate nationally in 2019-20, Alvarado returned from an early-season ankle injury and scored 26 points in Tech's 64-58 win over NC State. His 3-point accuracy has been off the past two seasons, but we could see improvement in that category from a career 77% shooter at the line.
Big 12
Emerging team: Oklahoma Sooners
Lon Kruger returns starters Austin Reaves, Brady Manek and De'Vion Harmon from a team that, in all likelihood, would have played in the 2020 NCAA tournament. The Sooners limited Big 12 opponents to 43% shooting on their 2s a year ago, a level of defense that could continue with Manek and Kur Kuath patrolling the paint. OU also posted the Big 12's lowest turnover rate in league play in 2019-20. The top of the conference will be crowded with the likes of Baylor, Kansas and West Virginia, but there's a lot to like with this veteran rotation in Norman.
Emerging player: Rasir Bolton, Iowa State Cyclones
Bolton made headlines in the offseason for detailing a conversation that took place when he played for former coach Pat Chambers at Penn State. Chambers was subsequently let go by the Nittany Lions, and, meanwhile, Bolton's already logged one season in an Iowa State uniform. Last year he functioned as the second-leading scorer in an offense run by Tyrese Haliburton. Now, as a junior, Bolton figures to carry more of the weight for ISU. Watch for better 3-point shooting and more efficiency overall from Steve Prohm's emerging star in 2021.
Big East
Emerging team: UConn Huskies
Of course Connecticut is "emerging." The Huskies are the new kids on the Big East block. Make that the new old kids. UConn was a founding member of the Big East back in 1979-80, and after a seven-season sojourn in the American, the men from Storrs have returned to their old stomping grounds. An offense revolving around James Bouknight and Howard transfer R.J. Cole should score some points, and last season Dan Hurley had his defense performing near miraculous feats in terms of denying 3-point looks to opponents.
Emerging player: Nate Watson, Providence Friars
One year after headlines were lavished on seniors like Markus Howard, Myles Powell and Kamar Baldwin, the Big East is about to see a true changing of the guard. In that spirit, keep an eye on Watson. Nowhere to be found on last year's All-Big East teams (not even in the "honorable mention" fine print), Watson's primed to dominate the interior as a senior. He's a career 57% shooter inside the arc who posted the highest individual offensive rebound percentage in Big East play last season. If he stays out of foul trouble and on the floor, Watson will pose a problem for opponents.
Big Ten
Emerging team: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Scarlet Knights were about to play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 29 years before a global pandemic intervened last March. As it was, Rutgers had already made its first appearance in the AP rankings since 1979. Talk about emerging, Steve Pikiell's program is fairly rising from the ashes. Ron Harper Jr., Geo Baker, Jacob Young and Myles Johnson are all back from a team that posted an 11-9 record in Big Ten play last season. Scoring against this defense will once again be a forbidding challenge.
Emerging player: Marcus Carr, Minnesota Golden Gophers
Carr recorded one of the finest individual games posted by any Big Ten player last year when he erupted for 35 points in Minnesota's 84-71 win at home against Ohio State. Richard Pitino's scoring point guard shot 12-of-17 from the floor and dished seven assists in that game. True, his season totals reflected a fair number of missed shots, but maturation often coincides with improved shot selection, and there's no denying Carr's potential. No Big Ten player was on the floor for a higher percentage of his team's minutes last season than Carr.
Pac-12
Emerging team: Stanford Cardinal
Stanford hasn't appeared in an NCAA tournament since 2014, and, while we'll never know if the Cardinal would have broken that string in 2020, chances are the streak will end unmistakably this season. Jerod Haase's team plays excellent defense, Oscar da Silva is a potential 2021 Pac-12 player of the year and Spencer Jones could be in for a proverbial breakout sophomore season. This is an offense that makes shots from both sides of the arc, and if Haase's backcourt can take care of the ball, Stanford will be heard from in the Pac-12 race.
Emerging player: Timmy Allen, Utah Utes
At the risk of going out on a forecasting limb, a player that shoots 21% on his 3s is likely to improve his success rate the following season. Allen recorded the above-mentioned figure in 2019-20, but it was on just 38 attempts, and anyway, the sophomore was drawing fouls, dishing assists and, at 6-foot-6, crashing the defensive glass. He's a jack of all trades for Larry Krystkowiak, and Allen is on a trajectory that could well earn him first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior.
SEC
Emerging team: Ole Miss Rebels
Never mind that No. 13-ranked offense in SEC play from a year ago. Looking ahead, Devontae Shuler is a skilled senior ready to assume a larger role, Khadim Sy will be coming into his own in the paint and Arizona State transfer Romello White is a rugged defensive rebounder who made 60% of his 2s over the course of three seasons in Tempe. The Rebels were sound on defense in 2019-20, and the 17-point win at home over Florida hinted at better days to come for Kermit Davis Jr. and his team. Those days are here.
Emerging player: Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt Commodores
In a rotation that featured Saben Lee last season, Pippen drew six fouls per 40 minutes and posted the second highest assist rate on the roster. Not bad for a 6-foot-1 freshman starting for a team that struggled through an 11-21 season in head coach Jerry Stackhouse's first year. Pippen closed the season averaging 17 points per contest over his last six games. He's ready to take on a more prominent role for a more successful Vanderbilt team as a sophomore.