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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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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – MARCH 4: Trendon Watford #2 of the LSU Tigers (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – MARCH 4: Trendon Watford #2 of the LSU Tigers (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

. Tigers . 20. team. 529. .

The graduation of leading scorer Skylar Mays was already a tough hit for the Tigers but a number of other double-digit performers went through the NBA Draft process all the way to the extended deadline. Freshman forward Emmitt Williams was gone but Trendon Watford, Ja’vonte Smart, and Darius Days were still up in the air.

The good news for LSU though is that all three players have elected to return, including rising sophomore Watford who many felt was going to be a “one and done” college prospect. His return is arguably the most important since Williams is gone and the team missed out this offseason on five-star center recruit Moussa Cisse. The Tigers did bring in a trio of frontcourt transfers but at the moment, none of them is slated to play on opening day.

LSU also has a quality incoming recruiting class, including five-star guard Cam Thomas and four-star ball-handler Eric Gaines. There’s plenty of great talent on the perimeter and Watford is an All-SEC caliber frontcourt piece for the team to have. Had the Tigers added Cisse, this may have been a top-10 preseason team. But even without an elite starting center, this team has plenty of firepower to make noise in the conference.

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