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NCAA Basketball: Updated 2020-21 power rankings after NBA Draft deadline

By Tristan Freeman

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats walks the sidelines in the game against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 05, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats walks the sidelines in the game against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 05, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – MARCH 08: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – MARCH 08: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

15. team. 486. . . . Spartans

The NBA Draft deadline featured both good and bad news for the Spartans. The good news is that Aaron Henry, the team’s third-leading scorer last season at 10.0 ppg, did decide to come back for his junior campaign. However, the team will have to do without All-Big Ten forward Xavier Tillman, who averaged 13.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg as a junior.

His decision to stay in the NBA Draft means that both he and star point guard Cassius Winston are now gone. That puts a ton of pressure on the rest of the roster for someone to break out and become that new star. One candidate is Rocket Watts, a former top-40 prospect that’ll be the new starting point guard. In the frontcourt, Marquette transfer Joey Hauser will have a sizeable role as a stretch forward. Top-40 freshman center Mady Sissoko will likely start as well unless junior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. can finally display the potential that made him a top-50 recruit in his own right.

Henry, Gabe Brown, and Malik Hall are also key returning pieces who’ll have a larger role in the offense. Losing Tillman pushes them out of the top-10 range but head coach Tom Izzo deserves the benefit of the doubt that he’ll make this roster into a Big Ten title contender once again. But he’ll have his work cut out to make the top-3, considering what else happened at the draft deadline.

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