One Undervalued CBB Team In Each Power Conference

Big East – Creighton

While it might be surprising to see a team that is fresh off an Elite 8 appearance and will enter this season as one of the favorites in the Big East, I still believe the Blue Jays are currently undervalued. Despite losing two key contributors from last season in Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma, Creighton team should enter this season as the clearcut favorite in the Big East and a legit National Title Contender.  

Primarily, there aren’t many coaches in College Basketball that have accomplished more in the last three seasons than Greg McDermott. Creighton has made each of the last three NCAA Tournaments with a Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearance. In addition, they join Gonzaga, Baylor, Kansas, Arkansas, Houston and UCLA as the only programs to win at least an NCAA Tournament game in each of the last three seasons. Creighton will return three All Conference Caliber players in Ryan Kalkbrunner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman. These three players all fit together nicely, with the best rim protector in the country down low, an NBA Caliber Wing in Alexander, and one of the premier shooters in the country in Scheierman. Creighton also added Utah State Transfer Stephen Ashworth, and we should also see expanded roles for Sophomores Mason Miller and Fred King, who both played sparingly as Freshman last season.  

At times last season, Creghton felt like a victim of their own expectations and never became the team we were expecting. With an offseason of slight changes, this Blue Jays team has every ingredient for a deep NCAA Tournament run and not everyone is realizing just how high the ceiling for this team can really be.  

Big 12 – Kansas State

Jerome Tang’s Wildcats entered last season projected as the last place finisher in the Big 12 Conference and one of the worst teams in all of the Power 6. Instead, Kansas State earned a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and found their way in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. The craziest part about Kansas State’s 2023 season was it didn’t feel unsustainable at all, and there is a good chance we’re looking back at the hiring of Jerome Tang as one of the better coaching hires in the last decade.  

While the Wildcats will lose their top two leading scorers in Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, Tang did a great job in the Transfer Portal adding Tylor Perry from North Texas and Arthur Kaluma from Creighton. These two players have a combined 135 games played in their college careers, which was something Tang really valued in his newest transfer additions.  

Perry was the leading scorer for a North Texas team that just won the NIT last season and he took home Conference USA Player of the Year. Kaluma was also a major contributor on each of the last two Creighton teams that had won NCAA Tournament games, and added both of these players along with returning contributors in Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Cam Carter. Kansas State should enter this season as a clear cut Top 25 team and ranked behind in the Big 12 behind only powerhouses in Kansas, Houston and Texas. The lights will be right right away on the Opening Night of the College Basketball Season, when they take on Pac-12 favorite USC.  

Pac-12 – Oregon

For the first time since 2012/2013, the Ducks will enter the season fresh off missing the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Those were Head Coach Dana Altman’s first two seasons in Eugene, and he has racked up a Final 4, an Elite 8, three Sweet 16’s and 7 NCAA Tournament appearances since. Despite falling on some tough times lately, this Oregon team has plenty of talent and should be in store for a bounce back season. Oregon will return three of their top four leading scorers from last season.  

One of them being Jermaine Couisnard, who missed the team’s first 14 games of last season due to a knee injury. Despite only playing in 19 games, the South Carolina Transfer averaged 12.8 points and shot a career high 33% from three. I would expect both of those numbers to increase and Cousinard to be one of the better players in the Pac-12 this season. The Ducks will also have a loaded frontcourt headlined by fifth year Senior N’Fale Dante, former top recruit Nathan Bittle and 5 Star Freshman Kwame Evans. Oregon also added one of the more underrated Transfers in the Portal in Kario Oquendo from Georgia, who should make an immediate impact, right away next to Cousinard and Keeshawn Barthelemy in the backcourt.  

This team is too well coached with way too much talent, for the failure of the last two seasons to continue. Oregon is a dark horse to win the Pac-12 Conference and should be heavily considered in Preseason Top 25’s all across the country.  

ACC – Virginia Tech

Many College Basketball fans may not know that last season marked the first time since 2016, that Virginia Tech failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It was a somewhat disappointing season relative to Mike Young’s previous three in Blacksburg, however I expect a bounce back season from the Hokies in a big way. Primarily, despite missing the big dance last season there were plenty of positives for this Hokies team.  

Sean Pedulla took a massive leap as a Sophomore, going from an average of 5.4 points per game to 15.0 points per game and the 6’1” Guard will enter this season as one of the premier players in the ACC. Virginia Tech will also return his backcourt running-mate in Hunter Cattoor, who has been with Coach Young every step of the way since he arrived at Virginia Tech. Cattoor has played in 119 career games in his four year career at Virginia Tech and with Pedulla, will make up one of the better backcourts in all of College Basketball.  

The question for this Virginia Tech team will be do they have enough around these two dynamic Guards, and I think there are some capable pieces here. Young has had success adding players from the Transfer Portal and he did that this offseason adding Robbie Beran from Northwestern. Beran started all 34 games for an NCAA Tournament bound Northwestern team in the Big Ten last season, plus the Hokies also added a high upside piece in Tyler Nickel from North Carolina and steady Forward Mekhi Long from Old Dominion. With returning contributors like Rodney Rice, Michael Collins Jr. and Lynn Kidd back, this Hokies team should  have plenty around their star studded backcourt to lead to a bounce back season.  

Big Ten – Wisconsin

The Badgers will enter this season fresh off a very frustrating 2023, and watching the NCAA Tournament at home. This was only the second time under Gard that the team has missed the big dance, and what is especially frustrating is that there was a clear turning point. Wisconsin started off last season hot, with an 11-2 record. Their fortunes changed however, when veteran leader Tyler Wahl suffered an ankle injury on January 3rd against Minnesota and the Badgers season was just never the same. They would finish the season with a 6-12 record in their last 18 games, even losing on the opening day of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time ever. 

Despite the way last season ended, there is reason for optimism with this Badgers team, as they will return six of their top seven leading scorers from a season ago. In addition, Wisconsin added one of the best transfers in the country that is not getting nearly enough attention right now in A.J. Storr from  St. John’s. Historically this program’s best teams have come when there is continuity and experience playing with each other.  

There aren’t many backcourts in the country I’d take right now over the trio of Chucky Hepburn, Storr and Connor Essegian, who should be in for a breakout Sophomore season. Despite many Badgers fans not being particularly happy with Greg Gard after missing last season’s NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin is in for a major bounce back season and should be back in the big dance with relative ease.  

SEC – Auburn

Very quietly, Bruce Pearl has turned Auburn into one of the best and most consistent basketball programs in the entire country. Auburn has made five out of the last six NCAA Tournaments, which also included a Final 4 in 2019, plus the start of a nice NBA pipeline, headlined by Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler. There were times last season, where it was evident that things weren’t working for the Tigers, including a three game losing streak in early February, leading to ending the season as losers of seven out of their final ten games heading into the big dance. The fact that Auburn was even able to make the big dance comfortably after losing both Smith. Jr and Kessler from the season prior, shows you just how good of a Coach Pearl really is.  

This season, Auburn will return five of their top seven leading scorers from 2023. That includes a nice core of players who will be ready to explode in a bigger role, headlined by Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams and Dylan Cardwell. Broome ended last season on an absolute tear, averaging 16 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in Auburn’s final 9 games of the season. Broome was one of the most heralded Transfer Portal Additions last season after starting his career at Morehead State, and will be in contention for SEC Player of the Year, with a season of SEC Basketball under his belt.  

K.D. Johnson will also be back for his third season on the Plains, and I expect a bounce back season with him being more of a focal point in the offense. With five-star Freshman Aiden Holloway also in the mix, this Tigers team has way more talent than most people realize and they should be a factor at the top of the SEC. Auburn was able to win an NCAA Tournament game last season when it felt like whatever could go wrong did go wrong, meaning this season could be scary for the rest of the SEC, considering they have a flat out better team.