Rivals Roundtable: Struggling team, Hoop Summit, blueblood targets
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
BOSSI'S BEST: Three-star freshmen that are ahead of schedule
It’s the weekend and that means Rivals Roundtable time. This week analysts Eric Bossi, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald discuss teams that could use a late conference run, USA Basketball’s Hoop Summit squad and must haves for a trio of Bluebloods.
1. As we enter the stretch run of the conference races, which team that has struggled did you expect more from this year? Can they get things headed in the right direction?
Bossi: Almost the entire Pac-12 is struggling, so it’s hard for me to pick just one from there so that leaves Auburn and Ohio State as struggling teams that could still make runs. Auburn, though, has an explosive backcourt in Jared Harper and Bryce Brown plus its remaining schedule sets up well with only two ranked opponents left in their seven games. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, I’m a little worried about them. I don’t know if I’ve seen somebody who can carry them for a stretch of games yet. Their schedule isn’t doing them any favors either as five of their last seven games are against ranked opponents. The bubble will be really soft for the NCAA Tournament this year, but if the Buckeyes don’t win at least four of those games they’ll be under .500 in the Big Ten with their signature win (so far) against Cincinnati in the opening game of the year. I’m not sure that gets them into the tournament.
Evans: While I wanted to go with Vanderbilt as it sits winless in the SEC, at least the Commodores can lean on Darius Garland’s season-ending injury as an excuse for why things went downhill so quickly. This brings me to USC, a squad that boasts nine former Rivals150 members on its roster. What do they have to show for it? A 13-12 record and just a .500 record in the Pac-12 during one of the conference’s most down years. Losing to Texas Tech is one thing but getting demolished by TCU and dropping two-straight at home to Colorado and Utah? That shouldn’t be happening, especially with an uber-talented guard like Kevin Porter on the roster. They won’t be able to squeeze out an at-large bid but seeing that the Pac-12 Tournament should be wide open, the Trojans definitely have the talent to reverse course and make something out of what is looking to be a lost season in Los Angeles.
McDonald: I'd have to go with Auburn here. After watching the Tigers run through the SEC last year and get off to a hot start this year, I thought it would be between the Tigers and Tennessee for the top spot in the SEC again this year. Auburn is currently 5-6 in SEC play. Now part of that is simply because the SEC is better than it has been in several years, but Bruce Pearl's team just isn't playing as well as I expected. Down the stretch they have a game at Kentucky and Tennessee comes to them, but other than that they have games they should win if they play well. Otherwise, there is a real chance the Tigers could be left out of the NCAA Tournament.
2. USA Basketball announced their 2019 Hoop Summit team on Thursday. What do you see as the strengths and potential weaknesses? If you could add one player who would it be?
Bossi: The Hoop Summit is always one of my favorite events because there is legitimate practice and preparation and every player is high level. The strength of the team should be their stacked interior rotation of five-stars Vernon Carey Jr., James Wiseman, Isaiah Stewart and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who all rank in 2019’s top 10. They are a blend of skill, strength, athleticism and versatility that should be tough to deal with. I do worry, though, about not having enough jump shooters or pure scorers. That’s why, if I had to pick one guy that I’d have liked to see on the roster it would be recent Georgia commit Anthony Edwards. He is a scoring machine and would have been a potent weapon. If not Edwards, the other guy that stands out to me is Jaden McDaniels, whose inside/out game is one I think would have been suited for the game.
Evans: I am a bit worried about who will be the floor setter for this unit and who will make shots whenever things slow down. Cole Anthony and Tyrese Maxey are at their best out in the open floor and getting the ball to the basket and outside of Justin Moore and Matthew Hurt, who else will be able to spread the floor with the deep range jumper? On the other side of things, man, the interior pieces on the squad is something else. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Vernon Carey, Isaiah Stewart and James Wiseman? Wow. Then again, maybe the USA team won’t have to worry about shooting it much from outside of 15-feet because they should dominate the paint.
Skimming the roster, Jaden McDaniels and Kahlil Whitney have every reason to complain about being excluded, but with the personnel in mind, Anthony Edwards not making it does raise some eyebrows. He has the chance to be the first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and has the perimeter scoring prowess and star power that could take the game over in the blink of an eye.
McDonald: The one area I could this team struggling with is outside shooting. There are some guys on the roster that can make shots, but nobody I would label a "shooter." The strength of this team will be the three post players up front with James Wiseman, Vernon Carey and Isaiah Stewart. That's a really tough group. If I had to add somebody to this team, it would be Anthony Edwards. Even though Cole Anthony and Tyrese Maxey can do a lot of what Edwards does well, I think Edwards is the best player in the country and he's the best of the bunch at getting a tough bucket.
3. Which blueblood can least afford to miss on their top remaining target? Kansas with Matthew Hurt, North Carolina with Cole Anthony or Kentucky with Jaden McDaniels?
Bossi: All three of those programs look to be all in on each of those players. But, I do think Kentucky is in the best position to handle a “miss” in this situation so I’ll rule the Wildcats out. That leaves Kansas, which could really use a shooter and a class headliner, or North Carolina, which really needs a dynamic playmaker. As much as Kansas could use Matthew Hurt, I feel like Bill Self always seems to come up with something. If the Jayhawks do miss out on Hurt, Self and Kansas will come up with an answer. If the Heels miss out on Cole Anthony, though, they could be in big trouble. I’m operating on the assumption that Coby White will leave for the NBA Draft and if that happens and they lose Anthony to say Oregon, it would be disastrous.
Evans: That is not even a question in my mind. UNC has some pressure to get it done with Cole Anthony. With Coby White possibly headed out the door thanks to his continued progression this season and little to no capable facilitators on its roster next season, the Tar Heels could really be in some trouble if they don’t get Anthony. Sure, they will welcome a low post presence in Armando Bacot, but without a facilitator on the roster, how might Bacot get the ball outside of putting his nose into plays on the weakside glass? UNC needs Anthony and a miss could cost dearly.
McDonald: I would definitely go with North Carolina needing Cole Anthony here. With the way Coby White has played this year, it's entirely possible he could leave for the NBA after this season. That would be a devastating blow for the Tar Heels if they don't have an elite guard like Anthony coming in next season behind White.