NCAA Basketball: Memphis, Kentucky, and FSU headlines Sunday Mailbag
By Bryan Mauro
1. Which team will have the biggest range between potential floor and ceiling this year? – Ian Mumm – @fiveonfivehoops
This is a very intriguing question and it required a lot of thought on my part. There are so many teams that this could apply to but there is one team in particular that I feel has the highest variance between floor and ceiling is the Memphis Tigers. This isn’t the first year that the same argument could be made about the Tigers. Memphis has an extremely talented roster and is always a factor in recruiting.
They had a great recruiting class again and were able to secure one of the top recruits in the class in Emoni Bates. Bates was at one time considered to be the next LeBron James but since he hasn’t played a single college game of significance expectations have to be tempered.
Memphis finds themselves ranked in the preseason poll there is still a lot of hesitancy to flat out say the Tigers are going to be good and will guarantee they make the tournament. Everyone has seen this movie play out for Memphis before right? They have had great recruiting classes every single season that Penny Hardaway has been the head coach and he has zero tournament appearances to show for it.
Will Emoni Bates play the whole year? Some believe he is just in college to appease the NBA and to satisfy their rule. The first sign of adversity many think he will be done for the year. I don’t think that will be the case.
This Memphis team seems to be locked in and looks ready to make a run to the NCAA tournament and if they are locked in that should be a lock for the Tigers. I say they have the highest variance between floor and ceiling because their ceiling is an NCAA title game appearance but their floor is a team who finishes in the middle of the pack in the American and doesn’t even make the tournament.
Memphis is going to be a roller coaster this year, as they are every year but they should still make the tournament and whether they win a game or not is all dependent on matchup but they do have the talent to make a run to the title game. If all goes right and they live up to their preseason ranking they should win the American and be a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament.