5 Storylines 20 Days Out From College Basketball

Football season is very much still in full swing. The weather is starting to change and we are getting some perfect fall weather over the last week or so. However, basketball is right around the corner. In fact, the college basketball season officially tips off in just 20 days. Monday, November 6th will be here before you know it. Several Top 25 programs begin their seasons on that opening Monday including each of the preseason Top 5. It will be a massive slate of games to tip off the season before Baylor vs. Auburn really gets things going on Tuesday, Nov. 7th.

In honor of hitting the 20-day-out mark, we will be taking a look at five more of the biggest storylines entering the 2023-2024 season. Every five days we will release five more headlines and ultimately reach a total of 25 when the season begins on the 6th of November. You can find each previous article below:

• 5 Storylines 25 Days Out From College Basketball

As Jon Rothstein would say: And Here. We. Go.

New Faces in New Places – Players Edition

In part one of this series we took a look at some of the most notable coaching changes across the college basketball landscape. Now, we will take a stab at the transfer portal. Hunter Dickinson leaving Michigan for Kansas was the biggest news of the offseason and probably the highest-profile transfer yet in the portal era. The 7’1″ center is a former Second Team All-American, a three-time All-Big Ten performer, and coming off of averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Watching Dickinson play in Coach Bill Self’s offense is going to be appointment television.

Aside from Dickinson, Max Abmas might be the next most notable transfer. After scoring over 2,500 points in four seasons at Oral Roberts, Abmas will take his talents to the Big 12. He will get to step right into a wide open backcourt after the Longhorns lost Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice. Other established, known commodities such as LJ Cryer (Baylor to Houston), Ryan Nembhard (Creighton to Gonzaga), and Caleb Love (North Carolina to Arizona) have found new homes as well. However, what we will do here, is highlight five more under-the-radar transfers that you need to know about heading into the season.

• Graham Ike (Wyoming to Gonzaga). The 6’9″ forward put up 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game last season at Wyoming. Now, he will join a talented transfer class at Gonzaga that will look to fill the massive shoes left by Drew Timme. Ike will get a chance to prove that he is one of the best forwards in college basketball this year.
• Aaron Estrada (Hofstra to Alabama). Not many people necessarily watch Hofstra, but if you follow low and mid-major basketball at all, you will know this name. The two-time CAA Player of the Year was a stat sheet stuffer averaging 20.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He will fit in well to Coach Nate Oats’ up-tempo offense.
• Javon Small (East Carolina to Oklahoma State). Small emerged as one of the best playmakers in the AAC before his season was ended by a leg injury. The 6’2″ guard was averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 assists per game.
• Jameer Nelson Jr. (Delaware to TCU). The Horned Frogs were active in the portal revamping their backcourt and a big part of that was landing Delaware star Jameer Nelson Jr. He averaged 20.6 points per game as a senior and is a two-time All-CAA performer. Nelson Jr. is a very good on-ball defender as well.
• Tre Mitchell (Texas to Kentucky). It is time for some Kentucky flavor. Mitchell proved how seamlessly he fits into the ‘Cats new 5-out offensive style at the GLOBL JAM in August. His skill level as a shooter and passer is exactly what Coach Calipari’s offense has been calling for.

AP Top 25 Poll

BREAKING: College Basketball Preseason AP Poll🏀https://t.co/bZ9nSquaey pic.twitter.com/XkX4ZS1Ihr

— On3 (@On3sports) October 16, 2023

Thoughts…

• Hard to argue with the Top 5.
• First time Kentucky has been outside the preseason Top 15 in the Coach Calipari era.
• The Southeastern Conference leads the way with five Top 25 teams.

Hype in Hollywood

The University of Southern California enters the season ranked #21 in the country. Off-season storylines have surrounded incoming freshman Bronny James following his cardiac arrest at practice in late July. However, on the court, the Trojans have a lot to be excited about. They will be led by arguably the best freshman in the college basketball in Isaiah Collier. He will be joined in the backcourt by fifth year senior Boogie Ellis who averaged 17.7 points per game last season. Those two could combine for one of the more dynamic backcourts west of the Mississippi.

In the front court, Washington State transfer DJ Rodman should be slotted directly into the starting lineup alongside 6’11” redshirt senior Joshua Morgan. Look for sophomore Vincent Iwuchukwu to take a leap this season as well and provide additional depth at the 5-spot.

This team will be very athletic and talented 1-4 and then feature high-level shot blocking at the 5. Don’t be surprised if the Trojans wind up as the Pac-12 champions.

Is Villanova Back?

After making the Final Four in 2021-2022, Coach Jay Wright retired at the helm of the Villanova Wildcats. He went to four Final Fours and won two national championships in 21 years as their head coach. In year one of the Coach Kyle Neptune era, things did not go very well. Villanova finished 17-17, their worst record in a decade and lost Justin Moore for the season after just 13 games. However, the All-American candidate is back for his fifth season and will look to lead the Wildcats back to prominence.

Aside from the return of Moore, Coach Neptune hit the transfer portal hard to revamp Villanova’s lineup. TJ Bamba, Hakim Hart, and Tyler Burton were all double-figure scorers at Washington State, Maryland, and Richmond respectively. Burton has NBA potential and could be and All-Big East level performer in his redshirt senior season. Meanwhile, Eric Dixon is back for another year as the Wildcats interior presence after averaging 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season. Depth is going to be a question with his team, but their starting five is going to be at a Top 25 level.

Will Gonzaga’s Reign Atop the WCC End?

Saint Mary’s shared the regular season West Coast Conference title in 2015-2016 and then last season. However, Gonzaga won the tournament championship each of those years. The Gaels did break through and win the WCC Tournament in 2018-2019, but otherwise this has been the Bulldogs conference for the last two decades. Only the 2011-2012 St. Mary’s team has won the outright regular season league title since the year 2000 when Pepperdine did it. In that same span, Gonzaga has 18 outright regular season titles and 19 tournament championships. That is truly an incredible run of dominance.

Could this be the year that St. Mary’s gets back on top of the WCC standings? With the ‘Dawgs losing Drew Timme, there is a real chance that the Gaels could feature the two best players in the league. Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike will have something to say about that, but Aidan Mahaney and Mitchell Saxen might be just as good on the offensive and defensive ends respectively. It is Gonzaga’s league to lose still, but don’t be surprised if St. Mary’s can climb the mountain this season.