NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 2019 Diamond Head Classic squads

2. Washington Huskies

The Huskies are perhaps one of the biggest boom-or-bust candidates in the nation. Mike Hopkins is bringing in a very highly-touted recruiting class to try to build on last year’s 27-win season. But there isn’t a huge amount of continuity as Washington loses four starters, including Jaylen Nowell, who parlayed his Pac-12 POY award into an early exit out of Seattle.

Still, any team bringing in multiple five-star recruits has to feel good about its chances – especially in the Pac-12. Those players, big men Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, have a shot to be the best frontcourt in the country. Of course, recruiting rankings have been wrong before. But there’s loads of potential here. Other new faces include that of Kentucky transfer Quade Green, four-star wing RaeQuan Battle, and three-star guard Marcus Tsohonis. Junior Nahziah Carter is the only starter from last season who will be coming back and he should hold down his place in the starting lineup.

It’s a bit difficult to peg where the Huskies will end up. If Stewart and McDaniels are as good as advertised, then there’s no reason to think that a second-weekend run in March is out of the question. But there is a lot of youth on this squad – perhaps too much. And for that reason, it seems reasonable to temper expectations just a bit. At least for now.

1. Houston Cougars

Kelvin Sampson ran a master class last season, guiding the Cougars to 33 wins, an AAC title, and a trip to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately for the old coach, they ran into the Kentucky buzzsaw and couldn’t find their way to the next round. The good news? A lot of the talent from that team is coming back, though replacing the contributions of Corey Davis and Armoni Brooks (among others) will be no small feat.

But bringing back guards Dejon Jarreau and Nate Hinton is a good start. Both of these guys were really important cogs off the bench but will be thrust into starting roles this season. Jarreau really displayed the ability to distribute, averaging 7.4 assists per 40 minutes. Expect him to have the ball in his hands a lot of the time. Hinton is a good candidate for a breakout sophomore season, too. Things get a little dicier in the frontcourt, where the Cougars will look for some development from guys like Fabian White, Cedrick Alley, and Brison Gresham. However, some of that pressure could be alleviated with some transfer additions. Former Towson standout Justin Gorham will likely see a lot of minutes after sitting out last season. The biggest question mark is whether former five-star talent Quentin Grimes will be granted a waiver after transferring late from Kansas. If he does, then this team’s outlook immediately changes for the better. With Grimes, a return to the Sweet 16 – and perhaps even further – seems very plausible. Without him, this should still be a tournament team and a contender for another AAC title.

The eight teams in the Diamond Head Classic will certainly provide some entertaining games. The best game of the first round, to be sure, is Georgia Tech-Boise State. With all of the top four teams realistically having the NCAA Tournament in their sights, these games could provide some really great opportunities to secure Q1/Q2 wins before heading into conference play. And one of these teams will go home with a wonderful Christmas present. My money is on Houston, but that could certainly change based on Grimes’ status and the early play of Washington’s stud freshmen.