Dick Vitale’s Preseason Top 25
As you know, I eat, sleep and breathe college basketball year-round. And this year is no exception. Now that the transfer market has settled down and teams are finishing up summer tours, I thought I’d share my projections for the upcoming season.
2023-24 All-Rolls Royce Teams
There’s nothing better in the preseason than looking at the new rosters and getting a feel for what might be in store. I had to wait for the dust to settle with all the player and coach movement during the offseason. With 13 of the 18 returning players that averaged 19+ points last season transferring and six of the top eight 20-point scorers on the move as well, the roster shakeup was noticeable across the board.
I enjoy watching the progress of youngsters that move from role players to PTPers. With only four of the 19 players returning that made first, second or third-team All-America last year, it’s been a joy to dig deep and project the stars for the upcoming season. I don’t put freshmen on these teams as they haven’t played yet.
So, here’s my All-Rolls Royce teams for the season. It’s full of proven stars, some on the rise and all-around ballers.
Purdue’s Zach Edey leads my squads as one of the dominant post players last year and had the Boilermakers rolling until they got untracked in the first round by 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson. The Boilermakers will once again be the favorite to win the Big 10 and finally make a deep run in March Madness.
North Carolina got a huge boost with Armando Bacot returning for his fifth year of eligibility. As the Tar Heels’ all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles, he’ll be the anchor in hoping to lead North Carolina to its glory days of deep tournament runs.
Bruce Pearl puts together solid teams annually and Johni Broome looks to lead the Auburn Tigers on a deep NCAA run after they surrendered a 10-point halftime lead in a second-round loss to Houston in the Big Dance. He’s a powerful inside player capable of averaging a double-double just like he did during his sophomore campaign.
Tyler Kolek and four other starters will be returning to Marquette for the 2023-24 season, bringing about another case of unfinished business that coincided with a second-round loss to Michigan State. The reigning Big East Player of the Year is one of the top returning guards in the country.
A Bob Cousy Award finalist last season, Boo Buie returns for his fifth season as a Wildcat after scoring the third-most points in school history last season with 588. His leadership should put the Wildcats in the Dance for a second straight season, a program first.
Here’s the ALL-ROLLS ROYCE TEAMS
First Team
Zach Edey, Purdue
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Johni Broome, Auburn
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Boo Buie, Northwestern
Second Team
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Dillon Jones, Weber State
DaRon Holmes, Dayton
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
Third Team
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Adem Bona, UCLA
Tolu Smith, Mississippi State
Tyson Walker, Michigan State
Max Abmas, Texas
Now that the 2023 NBA draft is completed I will share some observations in analyzing what transpired. First, it is a draft filled with many young players that will need time, in many cases, before making a strong impact.
No doubt the “Star of Stars” is 7-4 Victor Wembanyama who was a consensus No. 1 selection according to all the draft experts. He is a legit multi-skilled talent who has received so much national PR similar to 2003 when LeBron James arrived on the scene from high school to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Obviously, the San Antonio Spurs are hoping Victor can do the same. The previous two bigs that went No. 1 to the Spurs, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, played vital roles in leading them to NBA titles and are now in the Hall of Fame. It is pertinent that the Spurs add other talented people to help Victor reach his potential and achieve stardom.
This draft, in particular, is filled with so much POTENTIAL and it’s important that teams have PATIENCE with the young talent assembled.
The biggest surprise was Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, who was considered a top 10 selection, sliding down to 21. The Houston Rockets will benefit as Whitmore is an explosive talent who dropped according to insiders due to a lack of effort at times during evaluations. He could be the steal of the draft as some thought he would go as high as No. 5. This should really motivate him to show that he is the real deal.
On a sad note, after brilliant collegiate careers, three dominating college stars were not drafted at all. Yes, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, and UConn’s Adama Sanogo, though super on the college level, didn't have the skills and talent needed in the NBA according to the evaluators.
It will be interesting to see if they can sign on as free agents and prove all the critics wrong by earning a spot on an NBA roster.
Overall, this crop of 58 players features plenty of potential stars, high-end starters, quality reserves, some risk-reward projects and, yes, probably a few busts.
Two teams on the outside of the playoffs who made some huge pickups were the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trailblazers. Luka Donic got help as the Mavs traded down to get Duke’s Dereck Lively to help defend the paint. Then they traded for Marquette’s Oliver-Maxence Prosper and acquired veteran center Richaun Holmes from the Kings for added defensive depth for Donic and Kyrie Irving.
Taking Scoot Henderson at No. 3 was an easy choice for the Blazers as they added one of the older players in the draft in Iowa’s skilled power forward Kris Murray and a long-term project with another overseas star in defender Rayan Rupert. Murray is a big 3-and-D wing who will play from Day 1 in the league.
Now, we sit back and see what happens with those first round selections and watch the drive of some second-round choices who want to prove they should have gone higher.