NCAA Basketball: Power ranking of all 357 teams for 2020-21 season
By Bryan Mauro
15. LSU Tigers
If anything, LSU has been extremely relevant under head coach Will Wade. They have had a winning record every year he has been the coach and for the last two seasons, they have been at the top of the SEC. The Tigers could light up the scoreboard last year scoring over 80 points per game. LSU likes to get out and run and they have the athletes to run with anyone.
The Tigers return a lot of their team from a season ago and get some transfers eligible that are going to help them out immensely. Trendon Watford is a player who has the ability to be the SEC player of the year. LSU is not ranked in the preseason but they should be and they are going to show everyone that they are a top-two team in the SEC.
14. Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders had a target on their back all-season last year after they made the surprise run to the National Championship game. The Red Raiders took a bit of a step back as they had to do a slight rebuild of the roster but they were still a good team who came on some hard times at the end of the year when they lost their last four games in the conference.
This season the Red Raiders have filled the holes in their roster with some quality transfers who help fill the holes in the roster. Last season Texas Tech didn’t have anyone to really protect the rim or lock down the paint as so many of Chris Beard’s teams have had before. This year VCU transfer Marcus Santos-Silva checks those boxes and he will provide scoring as well.
Mac McClung the former Georgetown player who is extremely athletic and can jump out of a gym now takes his talents to Lubbock. McClung is extremely exciting, and he is one of my favorite players in all of college basketball. Texas Tech uses their new pieces to finish in the top three of the Big 12 and they find themselves ranked in the top 20.
13. Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia is still the defending national champion and they had a year a season ago that everyone has come to expect from them. The third-worst offense in the country averaging under 60 points per game coupled with the best defense in the country averaging a shade over 52 points allowed. Head coach Tony Bennett loves to play this way, they play slow rock fight type of games.
The Cavaliers never foul and they block a ton of shots. They also play a pack-line defense that seems to give every coach in America fits. As a coach if you can score 50 on Virginia consider it a win because it doesn’t happen often. Eventually, the sheer lack of offense is going to come back and get the Cavaliers’ defense or not.
The offense should be better this season as former Marquette star Sam Hauser is eligible and he is a pure shooter who is going to provide a huge boost to Virginia. The Cavaliers still will have a stifling defense but the offense will be better and they are a top-three team in the ACC.
12. Iowa Hawkeyes
Raise your hand if had Iowa under-ranked last year. I will admit that I had Iowa at No. 89 a year ago and thought they would be one of the worst teams in the country because of their inability to get enough stops on the defensive end. What did happen was Iowa became one of the deadliest teams from deep and they also had arguably the best player in the country last year.
Luka Garza coming back for Iowa makes them a top ten team and extremely dangerous in the Big Ten. Garza is likely going to be the player of the year, and Iowa will be a top 4 team in the league. Their inability on the defensive end keeps them from the top three spots in the conference.
11. Illinois Fighting Illini
The first few years of the Brad Underwood era in Illinois did not go as planned, but last year the Illini got it going and they are going to be really good this year. Illinois returns a lot of their roster from last year including two players who likely are going to be in the NBA come seasons end. The Illini play their brand of a havoc defense that can be very frustrating on opponents.
Illinois returns star guard Ayo Dosunmu who is one of the players who should be in the NBA at the end of the season. Illinois is a top-three team in the Big Ten but will be a second-weekend team in the NCAA tournament.