Pushed back a couple weeks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 season finally got underway in late-November. While there is excitement to have college basketball to watch, there’s still a sense of trepidation. Frequent testing is the law of the land, and one positive can put a team out of action for up to two weeks…or not, as we saw with Gonzaga during the team’s two-game “stay” in Florida over the holiday weekend.
Given what college football experienced none of this comes as a surprise, and that was with the majority of those teams scrapping the non-conference portion of their schedule. But instead of ten different conferences (and a couple independents) there are 33 conferences still trying to play. And with so many different leagues (sans the Ivy, which has canceled its season) there are varying protocols, which could turn out to be downright confusing. But this is how collegiate athletics has operated for years; the NCAA serves as a governing body when it comes to rules regarding amateurism, but the other “stuff” tends to be left to each conference.
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Will this work out for an entire season? Who knows, but it’s quite obvious that the powers that be are going to do all that they can get make it work, because a second straight year without the cash cow that is the NCAA tournament would put an even bigger dent in the finances of many schools. So sure the “kids” want to play, but let’s not ignore what is also at stake as this college basketball season gets underway.
Between the lines this sets up to be a very entertaining season, even though the player thought by many to be the odds-on favorite to be the top pick in next summer’s NBA Draft (Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham) won’t be playing in the NCAA tournament unless his school wins its appeal of the postseason ban handed down by the NCAA. The Gonzaga team mentioned above is very good, from freshman point guard Jalen Suggs to old-school post Drew Timme, and the rotation is loaded with depth and talent. Adding Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard to the mix gives Mark Few’s team an embarrassment or riches, and that group is capable of not only going as far as the 2017 team did (the national title game) but finishing the job as well.
However, for as good as Gonzaga appears to be that isn’t to say that there is one clear-cut favorite this season. Baylor, who is currently playing without head coach Scott Drew as he recovers from COVID-19, doesn’t lack for talent either. Mark Vital may be one of the most versatile defenders in college basketball, and players such as MaCio Teague, Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell bring the mix of talent and experience that many coaches long for.
While Kansas saw its run of Big 12 regular season titles come to an end in 2019 it still feels weird to say that the Jayhawks aren’t the favorites, but that’s where we are this season. Kansas and even West Virginia should be seen as contenders, but if forced to pick one team to win that league right now Baylor’s my pick.
Another storyline to keep an eye on is the youth at Duke and Kentucky, which isn’t a surprise given how those programs have functioned in the one-and-done era. But with many schools playing in front of either no fans (bless those cardboard cutouts) or limited crowds, being able to create your own energy as a team will be critical. Late-game situations in which a team could usually count on its home crowd to offer a boost, those players have to come up with it themselves. And for a young team this can be especially difficult, as we saw during Kentucky’s loss to a very good (and experienced) Richmond squad.
Duke has gotten off to a good start to the season, but we’ll learn a lot more about the Blue Devils when they host Michigan State Tuesday night. Given the success that Coach K and Coach Cal have enjoyed, most tend to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to developing young teams.
But in this season, given every hurdle that programs will need to clear to simply reach one game day much less complete a season, the 2020-21 campaign could be one in which experience reigns supreme. And it isn’t like grown adults are being asked to deal with all of this, as was the case with the NBA bubble. These are 18-to-23 year olds, and while they most certainly want to play let us acknowledge the burden that they’re taking on here.
Moving on to the Big Ten, this league looks absolutely loaded. Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin are all ranked within the top-5 of the AP poll, while Michigan State, Ohio State and Rutgers are also ranked. Michigan isn’t far off the pace, and while Maryland does have some areas to address the Terps took care of business in their first three games. It’s early, but through three games Galin Smith appears to be a much better fit for the starting center role than Chol Marial. The difference in experience is evident, especially on the defensive end, where Smith rarely seems to be caught out of position.
Keeping in mind just how inexperienced Marial is due to injuries suffered while in high school, and the fact that offseason workouts weren’t what they usually are due to the pandemic, and it makes sense that there would be such a gulf. Donta Scott has been a pleasant surprise off the bench thus far, scoring a total of 31 points in wins over Old Dominion and Mount St. Mary’s (he started and scored five vs. Navy). And after he was relatively quiet in Maryland’s first two wins, Jarius Hamilton got going with a 13-point effort against The Mount.
At this point we know what to expect from Eric Ayala and Darryl Morsell, and both have played well thus far. They’ll continue to lead the way, but seeing some of the “bit contributors” step up is a positive even if the level of competition hasn’t been what it will be in Big Ten play.
As noted throughout, experience is going to be key this season. The teams that have reliable upperclassmen that they can lean on will have the best shot of cutting down the nets wherever they decide to play the Final Four (Indianapolis seems likely). While that really isn’t any different from most years, 2020 (and into 2021) feels a bit different.
And I quote: “stay positive, test negative.”
BSL Analyst
Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.