National analysts Eric Bossi, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald are back with their weekly roundtable. What high schooler is working another rankings rise? What teams look ready to make a leap next season and who are some sleeper Final Four picks? Our team has its opinions.
MORE: The top 100 high school players | Seven sit-out transfers who will make a splash
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
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1. Who has emerged late in the high school season who may need a rankings bump?
Bossi: He is already a five-star prospect in the class of 2021, but at No. 20 overall, combo guard Hunter Sallis still has room to move up in the junior class. After watching him in person last weekend, I spent this week doing follow-up investigation on his game and I firmly believe he’s the real deal. In fact, the 16-year-old could compete for top guard in the class honors before it’s all said and done.
He’s already been to Gonzaga and Nebraska officially with Alabama, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA and many others having dropped scholarship offers.
Evans: Recently reclassified guard Josh Primo. Even though he won’t be in the 2020 Rivals150 because he plays outside of the States, the Canadian deserves a mention. I am not saying he is five-star prospect, but his age, upside, backcourt versatility and composure makes one only imagine just how good he can be. He was arguably one of the top three or four guards at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp last week, consistently making shots but also creating for others.
Alabama and Creighton sit as his top suitors and a college decision doesn’t seem to be too far away, either.
McDonald: We moved Elijah Tucker into the last spot in the Rivals150 to fill the hole created when William Jeffress moved up to the 2020. I have a feeling he’ll be on the rise throughout the travel season. He’s grown to about 6-foot-7 or maybe taller and his skills continue to improve. He’s strong enough to play on the block and skilled enough to play on the perimeter.
He holds offers from Georgia Tech, Iowa, Northwestern and St. John’s, but Clemson and Georgia are also staying in touch with him.
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2. What team that will likely miss this year's NCAA tournament will take a big leap forward next year?
Bossi: Missouri has been playing without the two guys expected to be their best players – junior big man Jeremiah Tilmon and junior guard Mark Smith – of late and they’ve been taking off. Sophomore guard Xavier Pinson has scored 60 points in the last two games, junior Dru Smith is making a name for himself and freshman forwards Tray Jackson and Parker Braun are starting to find their way. They’ve won three of their last four, are playing teams much closer and barring any departures, Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers return everybody who matters next season. Next year's team may be the deepest and best team since Martin arrived.
Evans: I know they aren’t exactly finishing on a hot streak, but I’m still encouraged enough by North Carolina down the stretch to believe it will make a big jump next season. Cole Anthony will no longer be in Chapel Hill but seeing that this is the first season that a Roy Williams-coached team will finish below .500, the chances that Williams follows that up with a similar campaign, especially with the nation’s third-ranked class nationally about to enroll, is very, very, very minimal.
It is not like UNC is at a loss for talent right now but, bringing in twin towers Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe, shot makers in RJ Davis and Puff Johnson, and the explosive Caleb Love. That plus the returns of Leaky Black, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks, should give Tar Heel fans reason to be excited about what the 2020-2021 college season could bring.
McDonald: Georgia Tech is going to be interesting next year. The Yellow Jackets lose James Banks in the frontcourt, which will be a big loss, but they return all the other key pieces to a team that is starting to play pretty well. Assuming they both return, Mike Devoe and Jose Alvarado comprise a really good ACC backcourt, and don’t sleep on incoming freshman Tristan Maxwell as somebody that can add some firepower off the bench. I’d also expect the Yellow Jackets to be in the mix for a grad transfer in the frontcourt to replace Banks.
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3. Give me a Final Four darkhorse, a team currently ranked outside the top 15.
Bossi: I really like Iowa as a team that could surprise in the NCAA Tournament. Especially since if it makes it to the Elite Eight it'll get to play somebody on a quick turnaround. The Hawkeyes have the nation’s most productive big man and they can get hot from deep.
They might not be the best defensive team, but they sure can score and do a good job of getting the game at a pace they are comfortable with. If not this year, I really like their chances next year. Like Missouri in the last question, they could return most of their important pieces plus they’ll get guard Jordan Bohannon back from a medical redshirt for one last year.
Evans: I wanted to give the nod to Mississippi State as a super deep sleeper thanks to the play of Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard, but I am stubborn and will stick with Michigan State, one of my preseason Final Four teams. It may not have played the part this winter, but this is still a team led by one of the best point guards in the nation, Cassius Winston, and a tremendous interior piece in Xavier Tillman. Give me Michigan State coached by March master Tom Izzo.
McDonald: I’m going with Butler. It has eight Quad 1 wins, which is among the most in the country. It has proven it can beat good teams, and that’s what you have to do in the NCAA Tournament. It has a balanced scoring team with a star such as Kamar Baldwin that can carry them.
