NCAA Basketball: 2021-22 Christmas wishlist for each top 25 team
2. Duke Blue Devils – AJ Griffin looking like a top 10 freshman prospect
The Blue Devils have to be happy where they’re at currently. Star forward Paolo Banchero has been as good as advertised, while Wendell Moore has been one of the biggest breakout stars in the country. There’s enough starpower and depth for them to make a deep run in March in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final year. Yet they can still get better, mainly with the continued development of former top 10 prospect AJ Griffin.
The talented forward had a slow start to the season as he was recovering from an offseason knee injury, playing around 5-10 minutes per game off the bench. The playing time has slowly been coming along, where Griffin now is an official part of the rotation. With him able to backup either Moore or Banchero and be a double-digit contributor, Duke’s roster is even more formidable. As long Griffin remains healthy, it’s scary to see what the ceiling of this team can be.
1. Baylor Bears – Solidifying a go-to scorer for clutch-time moments
There’s little else that Baylor could use for Christmas. They have the national championship and despite losing so much production from last season, are currently the No. 1 team for both Busting Brackets and the AP NCAA Basketball Poll. Their nine-man rotation is one of the most balanced in the country and is tops in defense, led by Arizona transfer James Akinjo and sophomore breakout star LJ Cryer, who leads the team with 13.6 ppg.
And that might be the only potential concern. Is Cryer the go-to guy on offense whenever the Bears need a bucket? Or is it Akinjo or freshman guard Kendall Brown? There are so many options Baylor could use but this team isn’t the greatest offensive juggernaut.
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With Big 12 play coming up, the Bears will really start to get tested. We’ll see who becomes the top offensive option going forward the reigning national champs. Yet if they continue to play defense at such an elite level, it may ultimately not even matter.