In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald discusses this season's national title contenders and names the Team of the Week and the Commit of the Week.
*****
PLAYER UPDATES: Darren Buchanan Jr. | Elijah Fisher | Caleb Foster
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Would you take Gonzaga and Baylor or the field?
You’ve probably heard this question asked by media members because of just how successful these two teams have been so far this season. Both Gonzaga and Baylor remain undefeated and have done so in impressive fashion. So, if you were presented with the option to bet on those two teams or the other 66 teams that make the NCAA Tournament, which side would you take?
I’m probably going against the grain to say I’ll take the field. As good those two teams are it just seems like we don’t usually end up with the best team, or at least the team we perceive to be the best in January, cutting down the nets. In saying that, it doesn’t usually seem like two teams are so much better than the rest this far into the season.
If not Gonzaga or Baylor, then who? Iowa is the team I think has the best chance at going the distance besides the top two. The Hawkeyes have a National Player of the Year candidate in Luka Garza and plenty of firepower around him. They already gave Gonzaga its toughest test yet. Texas also feels like a real threat to go the distance. Its trio of upperclassmen guards in Matt Coleman, Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey is really tough, and it also has front court depth.
Outside of one bad game at Minnesota, Juwan Howard’s Michigan Wolverines have been clicking this whole season. Like Iowa, they routinely score in the 80s and 90s and are sound defensively.
You can never count out Bill Self because he always has Kanas in the mix. Kelvin Sampson has Houston rolling once again. And call me crazy on this last one, but I think Alabama - when healthy - is good enough to beat anyone in the country. Nate Oats has his team playing with supreme confidence like his Buffalo teams played, and he has a deep team with shot-makers.
*****
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Baylor
Like Alabama last week, Baylor was a pretty easy choice for the Team of the Week this week. Scott Drew took his team to Lubbock on Saturday and won a tough Big 12 battle over 12th-ranked Texas Tech. On a quick turnaround, Baylor came home and knocked off ninth-ranked Kansas on Big Monday. The Bears are now 13-0 and in prime position to win the Big 12 again.
*****
2021 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Ty Baker to Georgia
Tom Crean secured his second commitment in the 2021 class on Monday as Ty Baker, a three-star power forward, chose the Bulldogs. Baker, originally from Florida, is having a terrific senior season for Hightower High School (Texas), where he’s averaging 15.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Along with Georgia, he was working with a top five that included Dayton, UCF, Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky.
