Every college basketball team has their strengths and weaknesses, but no team is perfect. Purdue has one of the best front courts in the nation, but can their guards finally step up. UCLA might be the highest scoring team in the country with all their fire power this season, but defensively they might be weak. Each team has at least one strength that gives them optimism to reach the national championship, but can they figure out an answer for its biggest weakness.
Michigan State Spartans
Weakness: The Spartans have no true experience on this team. Eron Harris, Tum Tum Nairn and Gavin Schilling are the top-three on the roster in total experience but they do not fall in the same leadership class as Valentine, Travis Trice and Adreian Payne. Michigan State had one of the best recruiting classes in the country, but will those three guys be enough to help Tom Izzo get back to the Final Four?
Strength: Michigan State will still have great shooters on the court with Eron Harris and Matt McQuaid. Incoming freshmen Miles Bridges and Joshua Langford also have enough range to stretch the defense out. Alvin Ellis III could be the sleeper on that team with shooting. He shot 40.0% from beyond the arc last season.
Arizona Wildcats
Weakness: Arizona lost a lot of big men who were good rebounders with Ryan Anderson and Kaleb Tarczewski, who both graduated. As deep as this Arizona roster is, they don’t have a very tall team. Right now, Dusan Ristic is the only returning player taller than 6’4″, and his numbers can’t be compared to what Anderson and Zeus did for the Wildcats. Getting the newcomers to crash the boards will be crucial for Arizona this season.
Strength: Head coach Sean Miller will have good depth on this roster this season. Returning in the front court will be lead by Allonzo Trier and also Kadeem Allen, Dusan Ristic, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Chance Comanche. The Wildcats signed three 5-star freshmen in this year’s class. They also added a JUCO transfer in Keanu Pinder and a graduate transfer, Talbott Denny. Sean Miller could play 11 players this coming season.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Weakness: If anyone wants to beat Gonzaga this coming season just foul them. Przemek Karnowski is below 50% in his college career. The guards aren’t exactly lights-out either at the line, as Nigel Williams-Goss, Melson and Perkins are all between 70 and 75% in their college careers. Jordan Mathews, who is a graduate transfer from California, is a 78.4 % in his college career and will be solid from the free-throw line, but free throw shooting in general is so important. Making the opposition pay for its fouls could get dicey with this team.
Strength: Before adding Jordan Mathews as a graduate transfer, Gonzaga already had enough good depth. The Zags lost their top three scorers in Kyle Wiltjer, Domantas Sabonis and Eric McClellan, but they get Przemek Karnowski back from a bad back injury, Johnathan Williams III and Nigel Williams-Goss watching from the bench as transfers last season, and the Zags landed five 4-star freshmen. Plus, adding in the returning players such as Josh Perkins, Silas Melson and Ryan Edwards, and Gonzaga will have no problem going at least two deep at every position this season.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Weakness: North Carolina’s biggest problem for the past several years has been shooting from behind the three-point line. Joel Berry is one of their best shooters and beyond that their pretty much isn’t anyone who is going to scare you. Their incoming freshmen Brandon Robinson should be able to help when he can get on the court. The Tar Heels did lose Marcus Paige, but they still have Berry, Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson, Nate Britt, Kenny Williams and fellow freshman Seventh Woods.
Strength: With Brice Johnson getting drafted into the NBA, North Carolina will still be one of the best in the country on the offensive glass. Kennedy Meeks (13.5) and Isaiah Hicks (12.5) both ranked in the top 80 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. With Johnson and Joel James graduating, that opens more playing time for Luke Maye. North Carolina will also have incoming freshman center Tony Bradley who should help that area too.
Saint Mary’s Gaels
Weaknesses: Saint Mary finished 20 of their 35 games with fewer than 10 turnovers forced. Some of that lack of forcing turnovers is due to how slow their pace on offense is. As long as they’re shooting better, they will be fine. On the nights where shots aren’t falling along with the inability to create a fast-break situation, it could be a huge problem.
Strength: Saint Mary’s is looking good because it didn’t lose anyone from their team that went 29-6 with one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. Last year it was led by Joe Rahon and Emmett Naar. The Gaels was good at avoiding turnovers and scoring in bunches last season. Evan Fitzner needs to take that next step and be better in his sophomore year. The 6’10” big man was one of their better long-range shooters last season, where he connected on 41.0% of his 134 attempts.