6. Georgia Bulldogs
It was a solid first season for the Bulldogs under first-year head coach, Mike White. They’ll be looking to improve the frontcourt, which collectively, was at the bottom of the SEC in terms of production. That being said the status of senior starting big man Braelen Bridges, who does have another year left if he chooses.
If he doesn’t come back, Handlogten would easily start over Frank Anselem at the center position. The bigger issue here is that Georgia is still rebuilding and with Texas and Oklahoma soon coming, could have the program down in the SEC for a while. Is that the ideal situation for the transfer big man, who could easily get over-recruited if he doesn’t perform immediately?
5. NC State Wolfpack
As the “local” option in the group, NC State definitely stands out as a potential option. But a case can be made that this team is either No. 1 or No. 8 based on a couple of pending decisions. Starting center D.J. Burns could come back for a 5th-year if he wants, along with Dusan Mahorcic if he gets a medical waiver for missing most of this past season.
If Burns is the one that goes, you can see a pathway at least for Handlogten to get minutes next season. And if he’s willing to wait would be the clear-cut starting center for the Wolfpack as a junior. This is a complicated option but we should know what the two bigs are planning to do soon.