NCAA Basketball: “League Pass Rankings” for 2021-22 season

6. Auburn Tigers

Bruce Pearl’s system needs a dynamic lead guard. Whether it was Jared Harper a few years ago, or Sharife Cooper last year, an elite guard unlocks Auburn’s fast-paced and athletic roster.

The Tigers have that this year in Eastern Kentucky transfer Wendell Green Jr. It remains to be seen just how the sub-six foot guard will fare in the SEC, but I’m expecting highlights.

The Tigers frontcourt is just as enticing with five-star freshman Jabari Smith teaming up with former five-star and North Carolina transfer Walker Kessler. Kessler is a shot-blocking machine, while Smith brings a modern offensive game. Getting wing Allen Flannigan back from a leg injury will make this group more fun. But in the meantime, Pearl will have the versatile Tigers playing fast and chucking threes.

5. Michigan Wolverines

Just two years into his college coaching career, Juwan Howard has won me over. His offensive schemes feel new and modern, running a ton of pick and roll and actions to offset the defense.

The main attraction in Ann Arbor is 7’1 big man Hunter Dickinson. The Washington D.C. native has embraced the role of being a villain. Will he stare down and taunt more benches this year? Call out opposing fan bases on Twitter? Not since Grayson Allen have we seen a player embody the figure of a villain in this sport, and that makes for great content.

Michigan also brings in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Wing Caleb Houstan will be a mismatch for defenses, but I’m more interested to see which freshman guard (Kobe Bufkin or Frankie Collins) steps up. Coastal Carolina transfer Davonte Jones isn’t the true floor general that Mike Smith was, but he’s got a nifty scoring package.

Smith’s passing and Franz Wagner just destroying Big Ten offenses will be missed, but there’s a ton of on-court intrigue, lineup possibilities, and a team dying to prove that last year’s Big Ten title wasn’t a fluke.