Yes, it is still football season. Fall weather is officially upon us. However, basketball is right around the corner. In fact, the college basketball season officially tips off in just 25 days. Over the coming weeks, we will have Big Blue Madness-type events, charity exhibition games, scrimmages, and much more.
Then, on Monday, November 4th the real games begin.
In honor of hitting the 25-day-out mark, let’s begin by taking a look at five of the biggest storylines entering the 2024-2025 season. Every five days we will release five more headlines and ultimately reach a total of 25 when the season begins on the 4th of November. As Kentucky Sports Radio’s resident college basketball junkie, I will have plenty of other preview content, including my annual College Basketball Manifesto, over the next few weeks. It is almost here, folks!
As Jon Rothstein would say: And Here. We. Go.
New National Player of the Year
There were 26 seasons of college basketball played between Ralph Sampson returning to Virginia and Tyler Hansbrough returning to North Carolina as the reigning National Player of the Year winners. Then, another 15 seasons elapsed before Oscar Tshiebwe did the same at Kentucky. Zach Edey then did the exact same thing the following year ultimately repeating as consensus National Player of the Year last season. We will now be in search of a new top dog in college basketball.
So, who are the players who could take over the throne from the 7’4” 285-pound behemoth from Purdue? In the betting markets, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson is the favorite as of now (+550 at the FanDuel Sportsbook). Already a two-time First Team All-American, Dickinson has 127 college basketball games under his belt. The 7’1” 255-pound center averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in his first season with the Jayhawks. It certainly makes sense why he would be the odds-on favorite entering the 2024-2025 campaign.
RJ Davis (+600) and Mark Sears (+600) are nipping at the heels of Dickinson. The two dynamic guards from North Carolina and Alabama respectively were both First Team All-Americans a year ago. However, if you are looking for more of a long shot, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner (+3000) and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. (+3500) seem like good values. Kalkbrenner was second in the country averaging 3.1 blocks per game and earned his third consecutive Big East Defensive Player of the Year honor. He also averaged a career-best 17.3 points per game. Meanwhile, Clayton Jr. seamlessly made the jump to the SEC after winning MAAC Player of the Year honors at Iona. He averaged 17.6 points per game while making 93 three-point shots.
New Faces in New Places – Coaches Edition
A recurring segment as we preview the upcoming season, here are five high-profile coaching changes that took place heading into 2024-2025. Last year, we highlighted moves such as Ed Cooley to Georgetown, Rick Pitino to St. John’s, and Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame. This time around a couple of the most notable moves hit very close to home.
- John Calipari to Arkansas. After 15 seasons at Kentucky, Coach Calipari’s time in Lexington came to an end. Big Blue Nation was restless after (another) first-round NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of #14 seed Oakland. In what was an absolutely wild 48–72 hour news cycle, Coach Calipari made his way to SEC rival Arkansas taking several Wildcats with him. The Saturday, February 1st matchup between Arkansas and Kentucky at Rupp Arena (more on that later) will be the most highly anticipated game of the college basketball season.
- Ben McCollum to Drake. If you aren’t familiar with Coach McCollum you need to get yourself acquainted. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to consider him the most decorated basketball coach in the country over the last decade. Coach McCollum built an incredible 394-91 record in 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State which included four Division II national championships since 2017. Now he will get his shot at the Division I level taking over for Coach Darian DeVries who is now at West Virginia. Drake has made it to three of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
- Eric Musselman to USC. SMU’s decision to fire Rob Lanier started a chain of events that changed the landscape of college basketball. Andy Enfield left USC to take the SMU job while Eric Musselman headed to the West Coast after a disastrous season at Arkansas. Ultimately, that move took John Calipari to Fayetteville, Mark Pope to Lexington, and Kevin Young to BYU who is making some serious inroads on the recruiting trail. The reset could be just what the Muss Buss needs after going off the rails in 2023-2024, finishing 16-17 overall and 6-12 in the SEC.
- Mark Pope to Kentucky. Coach Calipari’s move to Fayetteville obviously left an opening in Lexington. After swinging for big names such as UConn’s Dan Hurley and Baylor’s Scott Drew, the ‘Cats turned to a familiar face in 1996 National Championship team captain Mark Pope. Coach Pope has quickly calmed any concerns about adjusting to recruiting at a Blue Blood level and there is a great deal of excitement surrounding the offensive system he will bring to Kentucky. Over half of BYU’s shots last season were threes.
- Josh Schertz to Saint Louis. Despite being left out of the NCAA Tournament, few coaches captured the attention of the college basketball world like Coach Schertz did at Indiana State last season. Now he will make the jump to the A-10 while taking his star big man Robbie Avila with him. After 13 seasons as a highly successful Division II head coach, Coach Schertz has been a quick riser in the Division I ranks.
March Madness (Final Four) Hangover
In 2022, North Carolina made an improbable run to the national championship game as an eight-seed. However, despite entering 2023 ranked number one in the country, the Tar Heels failed to even make the NCAA Tournament. Miami (FL), who advanced to the 2023 Final Four, finished under .500 in 2024 after losing their last 10 games of the season. Similarly, Florida Atlantic brought a lot back from their national runner-up team only to spend much of the season on the bubble and lose in the first round to Northwestern. For the last few seasons, we have seen a bit of a March Madness hangover effect. Who will be the team to suffer this season?
The obvious answer would be North Carolina State who made a truly improbable run to the Final Four as an 11-seed. DJ Burns and DJ Horne are both gone leaving a lot on the plate of Jayden Taylor. Will the addition of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield be enough for the Wolfpack to go dancing again? There are certainly some question marks for Purdue as well. Replacing two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey will change the calculus of everything they do. However, there is enough talent there to assume they will be fine. Then, you have both UConn and Alabama who will enter the season as Top 5 teams. It is hard to project either one of them to face serious roadblocks this season.
Three-Peat on the Horizon?
The final three seasons of UCLA’s seven consecutive national championships from 1967-1973 represent the last three-peat in college basketball. Duke was knocked out in the Round of 32 after winning back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992. Kentucky’s run of a championship in 1996, runner-up finish in 1997, and championship again in 1998 is the closest we have to a three-peat since Coach John Wooden’s teams. Florida’s back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 were the latest repeat before UConn, but they failed to even make the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies will look to make history this season.
Replacing Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, who were drafted fourth and seventh in the NBA Draft, will not be an easy task. Per EvanMiya, those two made up UConn’s best two-man lineup last season. Cam Spencer was a major contributor as well and not easy to replace. However, Alex Karaban will likely be a preseason All-American and Hassan Diarra is poised to make a leap in a larger role. Then, you have the addition of Aidan Mahaney and five-star Liam McNeeley. Until proven otherwise, the Huskies will remain one of the favorites to cut down the nets again this season.
‘Cats vs. Hogs
Saturday, February 1st. Book your hotel. Clear your calendar. Probably start working a second job in preparation for ticket prices. Whether you are an Arkansas fan, a Kentucky fan, or just a college basketball fan, Rupp Arena will be the center of the college basketball universe on the first day of February.
The lead-up to the game will offer plenty of storylines. Reliving the first 10 years of Coach Calipari’s tenure in Lexington will be the fun part. However, the final five years left most of Big Blue Nation with a bad taste in their mouths. Every message board in the country (KSBoard included) will have a thread titled “Will you cheer or boo Coach Calipari when he steps on the Rupp Arena floor?” Regardless of where you are on that spectrum, there is no denying that the Kentucky versus Arkansas game will be an emotional one for all parties involved. There will not be a more anticipated regular season game in college basketball this season. It is a shame we don’t get a home-and-home between the two programs.
