2014-15 NCAA Season Preview: Top 10 NBA Prospect-Heavy Teams

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Three hundred and thirty seven.

No, that’s not the name of Nate Silver’s new forecasting website. It’s the number of Division 1 men’s basketball teams that will tip-off their season on Friday, kicking off the long and arduous battle to the NCAA Tournament in March. No matter what part of the country you reside in, odds are that one of these teams play their home games just a few miles away from you, which means you have a vested interest in at least one team.

But when it comes to watching the future of the NBA make pit stops in small college towns, some student bodies are more blessed than others. So in an effort to aid the decision process of which schools to watch on any given night, I’ve narrowed down the top ten most NBA prospect-heavy teams based on rankings given by Draft Express’s Top 100. Every team on this list will have one or more players on their roster that are must-know names going into the next couple NBA drafts. It can be assured that each of these teams will have a close eye on them by all front offices in the Association, and the fun part of having a television or computer is we all get to see the exact same thing they see.

Note that this list is not constructed based on how a team is predicted to finish their season; there are plenty of lists already out with that in mind. These teams are ranked based on the number of pro prospects on the roster, as well as the caliber of the prospects. Quality of the future pros is given more weight than quantity, though sheer numbers is a great situation in itself. Consider this your “League Pass Rankings” viewed with NBA draft goggles.

Number in parentheses is current rank on Draft Express’s Top 100 list.

Honorable mention: UCLA, Wichita State, Michigan, and St. John’s.

10) Texas Longhorns

It’s funny when you think about how up-in-the-air head coach Rick Barnes’ job status was just a couple seasons ago, because that simply isn’t the case anymore. The Longhorn basketball program looked as if it had hit rock bottom and, in only two years time, quickly climbed back into the top 10 in some of this year’s preseason rankings. A good chunk of that can be attributed to good coaching, but most comes from Barnes’ ability to recruit.

Sophomore point guard Isaiah Taylor (66) and junior center Cameron Ridley (92) are on many scouts’ big board coming into the season, but it will be freshman center/forward Myles Turner (16) that will undoubtedly get the most attention from the pros. Turner was the number two center coming out of high school, behind Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and ahead of Kentucky’s Karl Towns, but can stretch the floor a little more than either player can. It will be interesting how Coach Barnes — who’s returning all five starters from last year — gets Turner to mesh with an already established rotation.

9) Arkansas Razorbacks

Former McDonald’s All-American Bobby Portis (18) is going to demand a large amount of attention by opposing coaches, who are saddened to hear that he didn’t leave for the NBA after last season. The Razorback’s top rebounder had an enormous presence down low, and will only exert more damage on opponents on the offensive glass and defensive rim protection.

Portis won’t have to go at this alone, as he’s got a couple guys helping him out. Michael Qualls (59), a 6-6 shooting guard, will have more of a role this year and look to even further increase his scoring efficiency. Ranked immediately ahead of him is Moses Kingsley (58), who’s a sophomore 6-9 power forward/center with a high amount of agility, though a low skill set at this point. Both Qualls and Kingsley are expected to return to Arkansas next season for one more season of play.

8) Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals’ leading scorer and rebounder, Montrezl Harrell (12), almost didn’t return to Louisville for the 2013-14 season. The decision to return to campus for his junior year was a huge sigh of relief for Rick Pitino, whose team is facing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Harrell shot close to 61 percent from the field last year, but still has some issues to work through from the foul line.

Louisville’s other future draft prospect is 6-2 sophomore Terry Rozier (52), who Pitino says will have a breakout year this upcoming season. Rozier will take over duties in the backcourt in the absence of Russ Smith and should make some waves in the 2016 NBA Draft.

7) Florida Gators

Junior shooting guard Michael Frazier II (52) lead Florida in scoring, as well as the SEC in three-point shooting last season, and was a big reason for the Gators’ Final Four run a year ago. But while Frazier will demand the most attention from defenses around the perimeter, it’s actually sophomore Chris Walker (13) and freshman Devin Robinson (44) that scouts are slightly more intrigued with at this point.

Walker didn’t see the amount of action anyone expected last season, but will be called upon to fill a much larger role this year. His athletic ability and upside is what has pros checking him out, but he will need to improve his strength and defense if he wants front offices to take him more seriously. Devin Robinson is a bit of a mystery at this point, but could very well be a nice surprise to Billy Donovan’s staff.

6) Wisconsin Badgers

It’s enough of a hoopla when a school can send out two players who will be playing in the NBA next season, but also having them both be upperclassmen is quite the rarity these days. That’s exactly what the Badgers have going for them this season, which is why they heavy favorites to win the Big Ten and are poised to make a deep run come March.

Senior center Frank Kaminksi (21) had a breakout season last year and possibly even became America’s favorite college hoops player in the NCAA tournament. Kaminsky showed that he may be the nation’s best all-around player, and an easy first option for the Badgers in the offensive side. But while Frank “The Tank” won over our hearts last year, it’s 6-9 junior small forward Sam Dekker (11) that got NBA scouts’ attention. Dekker can truly be a game changer with his ability to knock down shots from deep, score off the dribble, and lock-down defensive prowess. The combo of Dekker and Kaminski bring one of the most talented and experienced one-two punches in America, and will undoubtedly be at the forefront of Wisconsin’s push for another Final Four.

5) North Carolina Tar Heels

The news out of Chapel Hill hasn’t been super pleasant this offseason, which is a shame since it’s taken the attention away from the fact that the Tar Heels will have one of the most talent heavy rosters in a recent years.

The Heels have six players in Draft Express’s top 100, and while Marcus Paige (40) is receiving some Preseason All-American recognition, it may surprise some that UNC has three players that are considered even more “draft ready” than him. Those players are junior power forward Brice Johnson (26), freshman small forward Theo Pinson (36), and freshman small forward Justin Jackson (38), who was co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game. These guys, along with sophomore center Kennedy Meeks (53) and junior small forward J.P. Tokoto (74) will have the responsibility of taking some of the focus away from Marcus Paige and giving defenses headaches in their planning on who to stop.

4) Arizona Wildcats

One of the players I’m most excited to watch this season is sophomore small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (15). RHJ looks physically ready for the NBA and has a quick first step around defenders to make driving the the basket look easy. Rondae still has some work to do on his outside shooting (especially off the dribble), but will undoubtedly have scouts drooling over his strength and toughness.

If RHJ wasn’t already frightening enough, Coach Sean Miller was able to go out and recruit the reigning Mr. Basketball of California, Stanley Johnson (9). Johnson has the same physical gifts as Hollis-Jefferson with a slight advantage in his shooting stroke. It will be interesting to see if his game will continue against college-level opponents, but this guy is expected to be a monster this season. Both Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson will also be joined by last season’s leading team rebounder Kaleb Tarczewski (79), and leading scorer Brandon Ashley (88).

Expect the Wildcats to pick right up where they left off last season.

3) Kansas Jayhawks

No one actually thought Bill Self would have trouble replacing the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, did they? Those two top-five draft picks were quickly replaced with two more potential top-five draft picks in Kelly Oubre (4) and Cliff Alexander (5). Oubre is a 6-6 wing who can scorch teams from deep or put the moves on defenders and finish strong at the rim, and is one of my top players to watch this season. Alexander is a power forward/center who will have no problem getting boards and being a defensive menace under the basket.

The two freshman will be surrounded by two other guys on scouts’ radar in Wayne Selden Jr. (29) and Perry Ellis (89). While Selden Jr. will most likely come out of school for the draft this summer, there’s a good chance that Ellis will return for his senior year in order to work on his game.

2) Duke Blue Devils

I considered writing “Jahlil Okafor (1)” about thirty times for the reason to watch the Duke Blue Devils this upcoming season and calling it a day, but reluctantly decided against it. Okafor will most likely go number one in next year’s NBA draft, and it’s for an obvious reason: his enormous presence is only matched by his nimble footwork and soft touch down low. On one possession he can be seen manhandling a player down at the low block, the next possession be seen beautifully pirouetting around a defender for an easy bucket, and finally pick-and-popping at the elbow on the subsequent possession. He’s got some explosiveness issues that can still improve upon, but his inabilities are greatly overshadowed by his already developed pro-level techniques.

What’s crazy – though not surprising – is how Coach K was able to recruit around Okafor. Justise Winslow (8) will be a great defensive energy guy for Duke, though many scouts will be watching him to see if his offensive ability will improve. Winslow’s draft stock will rise or fall based on how Coach K is able to work on his skills to create offense off the dribble. Fellow freshman point guard Tyus Jones (14) will also be a new face sporting the blue and white that will most likely be only spending a year in Durham, North Carolina. Jones will provide more offensive facilitation for the Blue Devils and gives a “true point guard” vibe.

1) Kentucky Wildcats

This should be a surprise to no one. The number one team to watch this season, when considering NBA Draft implications, is John Calipari’s Wildcats. This is the team that has so many potential future pros that their head coach had to create a platoon system simply to organize a method to get them all on the court at some point.

The Wildcats currently have nine of the top 50 pro prospects, all of which is lead by Karl Towns (4). Followed by him is a defensive threat who would’ve been a high draft pick last year had he not decided to return for his junior year, Willie Cauley-Stein (10). Many teams would be thrilled with having only those two guys starting for them, but most teams aren’t Kentucky. The depth behind Towns and Cauley-Stein is simply ridiculous: sophomore center Dakari Johnson (19), sophomore guard Andrew Harrison (30), sophomore forward Marcus Lee (32), sophomore guard Aaron Harrison (33), freshman shooting guard Devin Booker (37), junior forward Alex Poythress (39), and freshman power forward Trey Lyles (43).

Let that sink in for a minute. NINE of the top 50 NBA prospects are all going to be wearing the same uniform this season. Kentucky has made itself the place to be for building NBA opportunities, and no one has produced electric professional players quite like Coach Cal. If you’re wanting to get the most bang for your buck as far as watching the future of the NBA, you’re going to want to watch the Kentucky Wildcats this season.

It’s was never even close.