NCAA Basketball: Evaluating bold predictions from 2019-20 season

Big 12

1) Jahmi’us Ramsey will be the conference’s best freshman and a borderline lottery pick

Ramsey was definitely the best and most productive freshman in a league that didn’t have many in 2019-20 as he led Texas Tech in scoring, three-point shooting, and steals. As for his NBA Draft stock, there’s a good chance he returns to Lubbock since he’s not currently projected to be a first-round pick. He’ll likely be the preseason pick for conference Player of the Year if Devon Dotson doesn’t return.

2) Devon Dotson wins Big 12 Player of the Year and is an All-American

Dotson lost to teammate Udoka Azubuike in the Big 12 Player of the Year race, but both were also named second-team All-Americans by the Associated Press. I won’t act like predicting a great year from a Kansas point guard is anything super bold since Bill Self does a great job coaching that prediction, but this was nearly spot on.

3) Texas doesn’t improve and Shaka Smart gets fired

Did Texas improve from the last few seasons? I don’t think so. They were 19-12 and on the NCAA Tournament bubble when the regular season ended and, though that’s better than the 16-16 they were last year, I think they still would’ve ended up in the NIT.

The school did announce that Shaka Smart will be back next season, though many programs around the country are prioritizing stability during the COVID-19 crisis. With everyone on the roster expected to return for next season, 2020-21 will be do-or-die for Smart.

Since these were essentially double predictions, we’re calling it 3-3 with each prediction being half right.