Ranking college basketball's best players for 2017-18
First, a word about who's not here. Some players have already declared for the draft, but a number of decisions have yet to be made. Based on Chad Ford's Top 100 and comments from the players and their coaches, this is my working list of 41 non-seniors who might not be playing college basketball next season and thus aren't ranked in my Top 25:
Obviously, we don't know that every single one of those guys really will go pro, but the list is made up exclusively of non-seniors who would not shock us if they did. Understood?
Now, here is my 1.0 list of the Top 25 players of 2017-18 -- and as always, we are speaking of college production as opposed to pro potential:
1. Dillon Brooks, Oregon Ducks
For devotees of continuity, Brooks is a relatively straightforward pick as next year's preseason Wooden Award favorite. If nothing else, he's the reigning major-conference POY most likely to return next season. Certainly, Brooks could opt to leave -- he considered it last season -- but after the Ducks' loss to North Carolina in the Final Four, the junior did not rule out a return. If he does come back, Brooks will give coach Dana Altman a high-volume, featured scorer who recorded a better effective field goal percentage than Josh Jackson, Justin Jackson, Malik Monk and Nigel Williams-Goss.
2. Michael Porter Jr., Missouri Tigers
Missouri will have to make one of the largest season-to-season turnarounds we've seen in a while to earn an at-large NCAA tournament bid in 2018. If that sounds as if Porter is following a path laid down by Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, it's likely the Tigers freshman will indeed hear those names invoked from time to time. Then again, new coach Cuonzo Martin's 6-foot-10 star is drawing pretty fair comparisons to a Texas freshman from a decade ago. Are such comparisons simply the kind of hype endemic to the one-and-done process itself? Of course. Still, Lonzo Ball did turn out to be pretty good as a freshman, even if his dad does say so. Stay flexible.
3. Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga Bulldogs
Williams-Goss was the quartz movement at the heart of one of the nation's best offenses in 2016-17. His 23-point effort on 9-of-16 shooting played a significant role in Gonzaga's being the first NCAA tournament opponent to survive South Carolina's patented (and remarkable) second-half surge. Assuming he does return, Williams-Goss will give coach Mark Few a proven distributor with good size who can hit shots from either side of the arc and is often underrated on defense.
4. Jalen Brunson, Villanova Wildcats
As a sophomore, Brunson inherited the point guard role formerly filled by Ryan Arcidiacono, and did so with such success that few observers noticed or remarked upon the transition. For a fourth consecutive season, Villanova made a ridiculous proportion of its shots and won the Big East regular-season title by at least two games. Brunson played no small part in extending that streak, and his ability to create his own looks at the rim will continue to benefit both him and the Wildcats.
5. Ethan Happ, Wisconsin Badgers
It would be tempting to declare that Wisconsin is Happ's team now, but the junior-to-be is likely already near the upper limit of what a Big Ten post scorer will receive from his coach in terms of workload. It might be more accurate to say that -- given the departures of Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown -- Happ's production in close proximity to the basket will pad the assist totals of some new recipients. Who knows, maybe Happ can sustain the 62 percent foul shooting he flashed in Wisconsin's six-game postseason (up from 47 percent during Big Ten play).
6. Jock Landale, Saint Mary's Gaels
The only question with Landale is whether he can improve on a junior-year performance that was fairly close to the Platonic ideal for a player who doesn't try 3s. As a junior, he was the featured scorer in an offense that might have attracted more notice if not for a certain team in Spokane. Landale converted 63 percent of his 2-point attempts at a very high volume and did so as one of the nation's finest all-around rebounders.curs, Mack has to be enthusiastic about the prospect. Bluiett lit up a highly esteemed Cincinnati defense -- on the road -- to the tune of 40 points on 12-of-16 shooting in January. Moreover, in Xavier's run to the Elite Eight, the junior averaged 25 points per contest in NCAA tournament games against Maryland, Florida State and Arizona. He scored just 10 in the season-ending loss to Gonzaga
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John GasawayESPN Insider
First, a word about who's not here. Some players have already declared for the draft, but a number of decisions have yet to be made. Based on Chad Ford's Top 100 and comments from the players and their coaches, this is my working list of 41 non-seniors who might not be playing college basketball next season and thus aren't ranked in my Top 25:
Obviously, we don't know that every single one of those guys really will go pro, but the list is made up exclusively of non-seniors who would not shock us if they did. Understood?
Now, here is my 1.0 list of the Top 25 players of 2017-18 -- and as always, we are speaking of college production as opposed to pro potential:
1. Dillon Brooks, Oregon Ducks
For devotees of continuity, Brooks is a relatively straightforward pick as next year's preseason Wooden Award favorite. If nothing else, he's the reigning major-conference POY most likely to return next season. Certainly, Brooks could opt to leave -- he considered it last season -- but after the Ducks' loss to North Carolina in the Final Four, the junior did not rule out a return. If he does come back, Brooks will give coach Dana Altman a high-volume, featured scorer who recorded a better effective field goal percentage than Josh Jackson, Justin Jackson, Malik Monk and Nigel Williams-Goss.
2. Michael Porter Jr., Missouri Tigers
Missouri will have to make one of the largest season-to-season turnarounds we've seen in a while to earn an at-large NCAA tournament bid in 2018. If that sounds as if Porter is following a path laid down by Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, it's likely the Tigers freshman will indeed hear those names invoked from time to time. Then again, new coach Cuonzo Martin's 6-foot-10 star is drawing pretty fair comparisons to a Texas freshman from a decade ago. Are such comparisons simply the kind of hype endemic to the one-and-done process itself? Of course. Still, Lonzo Ball did turn out to be pretty good as a freshman, even if his dad does say so. Stay flexible.
3. Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga Bulldogs
Williams-Goss was the quartz movement at the heart of one of the nation's best offenses in 2016-17. His 23-point effort on 9-of-16 shooting played a significant role in Gonzaga's being the first NCAA tournament opponent to survive South Carolina's patented (and remarkable) second-half surge. Assuming he does return, Williams-Goss will give coach Mark Few a proven distributor with good size who can hit shots from either side of the arc and is often underrated on defense.
4. Jalen Brunson, Villanova Wildcats
As a sophomore, Brunson inherited the point guard role formerly filled by Ryan Arcidiacono, and did so with such success that few observers noticed or remarked upon the transition. For a fourth consecutive season, Villanova made a ridiculous proportion of its shots and won the Big East regular-season title by at least two games. Brunson played no small part in extending that streak, and his ability to create his own looks at the rim will continue to benefit both him and the Wildcats.
5. Ethan Happ, Wisconsin Badgers
It would be tempting to declare that Wisconsin is Happ's team now, but the junior-to-be is likely already near the upper limit of what a Big Ten post scorer will receive from his coach in terms of workload. It might be more accurate to say that -- given the departures of Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown -- Happ's production in close proximity to the basket will pad the assist totals of some new recipients. Who knows, maybe Happ can sustain the 62 percent foul shooting he flashed in Wisconsin's six-game postseason (up from 47 percent during Big Ten play).
6. Jock Landale, Saint Mary's Gaels
The only question with Landale is whether he can improve on a junior-year performance that was fairly close to the Platonic ideal for a player who doesn't try 3s. As a junior, he was the featured scorer in an offense that might have attracted more notice if not for a certain team in Spokane. Landale converted 63 percent of his 2-point attempts at a very high volume and did so as one of the nation's finest all-around rebounders.curs, Mack has to be enthusiastic about the prospect. Bluiett lit up a highly esteemed Cincinnati defense -- on the road -- to the tune of 40 points on 12-of-16 shooting in January. Moreover, in Xavier's run to the Elite Eight, the junior averaged 25 points per contest in NCAA tournament games against Maryland, Florida State and Arizona. He scored just 10 in the season-ending loss to Gonzaga
