NCAA Basketball: Top 25 college frontcourts for 2018-19
Teams just missing out on the top 25
* All stats are courtesy of SportsReference
*All rankings for the upcoming freshmen are courtesy of 247SportsComposite
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Frontcourt players: DeSean Murray, Charles Bassey (No. 6 recruit), JUCO transfers Trevelin Queen, Matthew Horton, and Galen Smith, Moustapha Diagne and Marek Nelson
Although the team loses their best player and forward Justin Johnson, Rick Stansbury’s elite recruiting skills once again shines through. First was getting grad transfer DeSean Murray, who averaged over 20 ppg the last time he played for a mid-major school. Then the pickup of the 6’10 Bassey instantly made Western Kentucky the favorites to win Conference USA. They’ll have one of the better mid-major frontcourts in the country next season.
Georgetown Hoyas
Frontcourt players: Jessie Govan, Jamorko Pickett, Antwan Walker, Josh LeBlanc (No. 123 recruit) and Grayson Carter (No. 235 recruit)
The Hoyas nearly made the list on the strength of Govan alone, who averaged 17.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg this past season. Pickett was productive as a freshman as well, nearly scoring double figures a night. Had Marcus Derrickson (15.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg) stayed around, Georgetown easily would’ve cracked the top-20.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Frontcourt players: Felipe Hasse, Jason Cudd, Chris Silva, Maik Kotsar, Alanzo Frink (No. 433) and Keyshawn Bryant (No. 291)
It was the frontcourt for South Carolina that prevented an utter collapse last season after the backcourt struggled. Lead by Silva (14.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg), the Gamecocks have some decent depth amongst their bigs. They’ll need Haase to continue developing, while Kotsar becomes more assertive on the offensive end.
Providence Friars
Frontcourt players: Nate Watson, Kalif Young, Alpha Diallo, Emmit Holt, Jimmy Nichols (No. 188 recruit) and Kris Monroe (No. 324 recruit)
There aren’t any Big East teams on this list but the Friars are the closest one, thanks to the return of double-digit scorer Holt, who missed all of last season with an injury. He pairs up with Watson and Young along with the best player for Providence in Diallo. The team has a pair of top-50 guards coming in but another trip to the NCAA Tournament will depend on their frontcourt.
Kansas State Wildcats
Frontcourt players: Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed, Makol Mawien, Levi Stockard, JUCO Austin Trice, and James Love
Just barely missing out are the surprise Elite Eight Wildcats, who return three starters in the frontcourt and adds even more depth with one of the better Junior College transfers in the 2018 class. Wade was first-team All-Big 12 while Sneed played well all over the court to help fill in for the injured teammates. This frontcourt overall can become elite if Mawien and Trice become offensive contributors on a consistent level.