Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season
468. . . . Red Raiders . 3. team
To reiterate, this is assuming that all transfers get waivers. That would include Mac McClung, the former Georgetown Hoya guard who averaged over 15 ppg in his past two seasons. His transfer and recruitment were a major offseason storyline and his decision to come to Lubbock is a sign of how much the program has risen under head coach Chris Beard.
McClung joining is even more important after junior guard Davide Moretti electing to go pro this offseason. There aren’t many guards who can definitively create their own offense on the roster, something the former Hoya can do. It may be a trade-off though when it comes to his lack of defensive strengths.
Freshman and leading scorer Jahmi’us Ramsey leaving for the NBA Draft was a given, but Nimari Burnett, a five-star combo guard, and Texas Tech’s highest-rated commit out of high school should be a legit replacement. Junior guard and All-Big 12 breakout candidate Kyler Edwards will take a leading role, along with 6’6 off-guard Kevin McCullar.
That doesn’t even include Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton, who got a waiver to play but is considering sitting out this season. Although he may be the best pure ball-handler of the group, it may be best for him to sit out and guarantee a starting role, since McClung and Burnett are likely gone after this season.
The frontcourt is different as well for the Red Raiders, led by UNLV sit-out transfer Joel Ntambwe and VCU grad transfer Marcus Santos-Silva. From a size and pure scoring perspective, this is certainly an upgrade over TJ Holyfield and point/forward Chris Clarke. But be careful to automatically assume that mid-majors can produce at a high level in the Big 12.
Like last season, expect the guards, and wings Terrence Shannon and Micah Peavy too to lead the way on offense. But if the bigs, as well as JUCO forward Esahia Nyiwe can provide consistently, this is a top-10 team with Final Four potential. But all of the new pieces will have to fit, which sometimes is better said than done.