Dylan Harper will lead the country in scoring
I don’t know what the Scarlet Knights' record will be this year. What I do know is that Harper will carry them for most of the season. There are not many guys who can score like Harper can. He is quick and crafty, gets the rim easily, and gets fouled a lot. The guard scored almost 100 points in a three-game stretch at the Players Era Festival, and his 37 points almost led Rutgers to a win over Alabama.
He is averaging just over 23 points per game which is good for 4th in the country. He has the ability and will be given every opportunity to score every time down the floor. He will take upwards of 15-20 shots every night, and once the threes start falling, he will score close to 30 every night. Rutgers will go as far as Harper takes them.
Oregon is a Final Four caliber team
This one is hot off the press, but every year, I get asked a lot by my friends and colleagues who I think is a sleeper pick to watch out for to make the Final Four. That is always a hard question, but I can answer it this year, and it is Oregon. The Ducks have been the most surprising team so far, and after almost losing to Oregon State, they rallied off wins over Texas A&M, San Diego State, and a loaded Alabama team.
The Ducks have a lot of games left, but they look like the class of the Big Ten. Nate Bittle is one of the best bigs in the country and TJ Bamba and Jackson Shelstad have done most of the scoring. Oregon may fall off, but they have a team capable of making a deep run into March and a Final Four.
I hope you all enjoyed my hot takes after the first month. Some are not as big of a stretch as others. Some made me uncomfortable. I don’t like to pick my Final Four this early, especially given matchups are a huge part of the tournament. I do think the Big East will eventually pick it up, but they have been bad to start the year off and there is a lot to like in the Big Ten. Enjoy your hoops and your holiday season.