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College basketball’s preseason No. 1: 5 teams stake their claim

By Chris Stone

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 16: Allonzo Trier #35 of the Arizona Wildcats dunks the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 16: Allonzo Trier #35 of the Arizona Wildcats dunks the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after scoring against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after scoring against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

4. Michigan State Spartans

Outside of Marvin Bagley III’s decision to re-classify, perhaps no offseason story generated about as much excited about the 2017-18 season as Miles Bridges decision to return for his sophomore campaign at Michigan State. The 6-foot-7 forward was a near lock to be a lottery pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but his desire to improve and succeed with the Spartans drew him back to East Lansing.

Before Bagley’s announcement, Bridges was a near lock to be the preseason National Player of the Year. The 19-year old was a monster in his first season, averaging 21.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per 40 minutes while posting an efficient 58.0 true shooting percentage. It’s tough to imagine him having a better sophomore season — after all, there are real questions about the sustainability of his 38.9 percent 3-point shooting — but if he can improve as a creator, it will benefit Michigan State immensely.

Despite having Bridges back in the folder, the Spartans have a few questions that will shape their 2017-18 season. The first one relates to what the team’s frontcourt rotation will look like. There are six players who have an argument to be considered, but Bridges, sophomore Nick Ward and freshman Jaren Jackson are the cream of the crop. The problem is that playing all three together means putting Bridges at the small forward spot where his shooting questions become even more important. Ultimately, the Spartans may be best off pairing Bridges with Jackson in closing lineups while letting Ward dominate opposing second units.

The other worry is in the backcourt where neither Tum Tum Nairn nor Cassius Winston have inspired much confidence in their ability to run an offense. Both players posted a turnover rate above 23.0 percent last season. They’ll need to clean that up in order for Michigan State to be efficient enough on offense in 2017-18.

Having Bridges, though, will always be a safety net. His shocking decision to return to East Lansing raises the Spartans’ ceiling, but he’ll need to be as good as he was a year ago in order for them to have a chance to justify being the country’s preseason No. 1 team.