It’s not breaking news that the talent level this year in college basketball is as down as its ever been. The 2020 NBA Draft is going to have multiple lottery picks who didn’t even play college basketball. Anthony Edwards, the presumed number 1 overall pick, probably won’t even make the NCAA tournament with the Georgia Bulldogs unless something drastic changes soon. So in a year with no real superstars, it’s time to dive a little deeper into Arizona Basketball, who has potentially three lottery pick players in Nico Mannion, Josh Green & Zeke Nnaji.
This Arizona team is currently +3500 to win the National Championship and has won 8 of its last 10 games. The three potential lottery picks in Mannion, Green and Nnaji are all freshman, so it took some time for them to get acclimated to college basketball. On December 7th, 2019 Arizona played the current number one ranked team in Baylor and lost by 5. On December 14th, 2019 the wildcats played the current number two ranked team in Gonzaga and lost by 4. These games were against the top two teams in the country within just seven days of each other and both decided by two possessions. Now, with four months of college basketball experience under this teams’ belt, these freshman are ready to roll.
Arizona also holds wins over Colorado, who is currently ranked 18th, and Illinois, who is projected to make the NCAA tournament. Although Arizona has played a lackadaisical schedule being in the Pac-12, they can get a big win over #14 ranked Oregon this Saturday night. The first time Arizona and Oregon played earlier in the season, the game was decided by a point at Oregon. This time the Wildcats get to play Oregon in Tuscon, AZ.
If i was a betting man, which i am, I would take Arizona +3500 all day, every day to win the big dance. If you’re a believer that the most talented team should win, well, Arizona is the most talented team in college basketball. So during these next three weeks I would be surprised to see them lose another game. Once they beat Oregon Saturday night, they have a very favorable schedule to close the season. This team may steam roll its way through the Pac-12 to tournament and carry that momentum in the NCAA tournament. Hop on now, before its too late.
Clemson University