2024/2025 College Basketball Season - Team Previews: 31 - 35
#31: Michigan Wolverines
Returning
Nimari Burnett (9.6 ppg - 40% / 35% / 72%)
Will Tschetter (6.8 ppg - 58% / 52% / 72%)
Jace Howard (2.6 ppg - 30% / 27% / 67%)
Transfers
Vladislav Goldin (15.7 ppg @ FAU - 67% / 0% / 66%)
Danny Wolf (14.1 ppg @ Yale - 47% / 35% / 72%)
Roddy Gayle Jr. (13.5 ppg @ Ohio State - 45% / 28% / 83%)
Rubin Jones (12.6 ppg @ North Texas - 40% / 42% / 77%)
Tre Donaldson (6.7 ppg @ Auburn - 47% / 41% / 78%)
Sam Walters (5.4 ppg @ Alabama - 43% / 39% / 83%)
Recruits
Justin Pippen (ESPN #76 / 247Sports #70)
Durral Brooks
Lorenzo Cason
It’s a bright new day for Michigan Basketball fans - the strange, dramatic Juwan Howard saga is over, and rising star Dusty May is ready to return the Wolverines to prominence. Oh, and he’s bringing some transfer reinforcements with him to make his first year in Ann Arbor more than just a rebuilding season - they’re immediately going to be a pretty dangerous basketball team. It’s gotta be a tough decision & situation to fire a legendary former player, but Howard couldn’t have made it a much easier call, and the administration made a great hire in poaching May from Florida Atlantic. It’s a great situation for Dusty too, as he transitions from working for a program with the facilities and resources of a big high school to one of the most powerful brands and institutions in college sports.
Coach May convinced 7’1” center Vlad Goldin to follow him from Boca Raton, which was his best accomplishment in the offseason. Goldin rated as the 70th most efficient offensive player in the game last year - he averaged almost 16 ppg, he shot 67% from the field (28th in the country), he was Top 50 in fouls drawn and free throw rate, he was a highly effective rebounder on both ends, and he was one of the best shot blockers in the country. He was also prone to getting in foul trouble and missing out on playing time as a result - that was usually opposing coaches’ game plan to mitigate his impact - but if he can temper that, he could be one of the most important bigs in the country next year. The Wolverines have another 7-footer inbound, Danny Wolf from Yale. We here at BracketBound are big fans of teams that can rotate big, capable 7-foot centers. Danny is another massive, sturdy young man who was one of the 10 most efficient defensive rebounders in the country last year, was also an elite shotblocker, and hit 29 threes at a 35% clip. Returning Wolverine Will Tschetter and incoming transfer Sam Walters will round out the frontcourt rotation, with Jace Howard playing limited minutes as well. Tschetter and Walters are both sharpshooting, versatile forwards that help space the floor very well (52% and 39% from 3, respectively). Tschetter is a bit more playable at the 4 as a well-rounded forward, but you don’t want to leave either of those guys open on the perimeter.
The backcourt has some guys too, but I think there are more question marks surrounding how good the guards will be. Roddy Gayle Jr. is switching sides, transferring from rival Ohio State to be Michigan’s premier guard. Gayle is an athletic combo guard, and was the Buckeyes’ 3rd best player and 3rd leading scorer last season as a Sophomore. He’s not a bad shooter overall, but he’s a little inconsistent from 3 - his 3pt FG% dropped from >40% to 28% this year, and apparently he’s a lot better from certain spots on the court vs. others (41% from right top of the key vs. 17% from left top of the key…kinda crazy). Anyway, I like him a lot as a pickup - he passes like a point guard, which means he will fit perfectly in Dusty’s highly efficient 4-out offense. After Roddy, things are a bit more uncertain, but interesting. The rest of the backcourt is comprised of Nimari Burnett, the starting shooting guard on last year’s (very bad) team who shot 40% FG / 35% 3 FG; Tre Donaldson, the Auburn transfer point guard who only played 19 mpg but is shooting 40% from 3 for his career; Rubin Jones, North Texas’ starting point guard last year who is a great distributor (Top 150 in assist rate), defender (Top 100 in steal rate), and 3pt shooter (42%)…against AAC competition; and last and possibly also least, freshman shooting guard Justin Pippen (yes, son of Scottie), who seems like a good shooter but probably isn’t going to contribute much this season. Like I said, it’s kind of a mixed bag, but I generally like the concept of having 4 guys that can shoot from deep, pass, and 2-3 of whom can serve as primary ball-handlers.
Like most teams under a first-year coach that is composed primarily of newcomer transfers / freshmen, Michigan’s performance will depend a lot on how the pieces fit together, and how quickly they make that happen. That said, I like a lot of the pieces, and I think this team should be better than most that find themselves in this situation. I want to say I trust Dusty May to get the guys to play together as a team because he’s been so successful in recruiting & developing guys, and getting them to play at a high level. But he had almost the same exact team for the past two years, and now he’s only got one of his former players on this roster, so I don’t think it’s as much of a given as others may make it seem. All in all, I think this team will be pretty competitive in a seemingly wide open Big Ten, and will at least be pushing for a spot on the bubble come March.
#32: Louisville Cardinals
Returning
N/A
Transfers
Terrence Edwards Jr (17.2 ppg @ James Madison - 43% / 34% / 81%)
Kasean Pryor (13.0 ppg @ South Florida - 45% / 35% / 82%)
Reyne Smith (12.8 ppg @ Charleston - 41% / 39% / 86%)
Aboubacar Traore (12.0 ppg @ Long Beach State - 52% / 9% / 67%)
J’Vonne Hadley (11.6 ppg @ Colorado - 54% / 42% / 84%)
Koren Johnson (11.1 ppg @ Washington - 44% / 37% / 72%)
Kobe Rodgers (9.7 ppg @ Charleston - 50% / 45% / 80%)
Noah Waterman (9.5 ppg @ BYU - 46% / 37% / 81%)
Chucky Hepburn (9.2 ppg @ Wisconsin - 43% / 32% / 74%)
Aly Khalifa (5.7 ppg @ BYU - 39% / 32% / 62%)
James Scott (5.0 ppg @ Charleston - 80% / 0% / 44%)
Frank Anselem-Ibe (2.6 ppg @ Georgia - 63% / 0% / 63%)
Recruits
Khani Rooths (ESPN #43 / 247Sports #38)
It’s always exciting to think through a team preview in the Transfer Portal era for a team with zero returning players. But shout out to the Cards’ new Head Coach Pat Kelsey for assembling a very complete roster in just a few weeks after being hired. He managed to land 9 players that averaged 9+ points at their respective D1 schools last season. There are 10-11 guys that can and should see the floor in most games, which isn’t always the case for a first year coach that has only the offseason to overhaul a roster. I’m actually really excited to watch this team because they have some fun, recognizable players from decent/good programs.
Terrance Edwards was the best player on the viral James Madison team that beat Michigan State to start the season, then upset Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (before getting crushed by Duke), and he’ll be a great player for Pat to build this team around. Guards Reyne Smith and Kobe Rodgers were starters and two of the best players (and shooters) on Kelsey’s Charleston team from last year. Aboubacar Traore from LBSU is a 6’5”... *looks at notes*... forward (???) who averages 8+ rebounds per game. I don’t know if his game translates as well to the ACC from the Big West, but he’s got “elite glue guy” written all over him. J’Vonne Hadley from Colorado was fantastic last year - he didn’t get nearly as much shine as his 3 teammates that were drafted to the NBA, but he’s an incredibly valuable wing/small forward. Koren Johnson from UW is a really nice scoring guard to add to the squad, as well. He was basically a second point guard alongside Sahvir Wheeler, but he was a much more confident three-level shooter. Chucky Hepburn was the starting point guard for Wisconsin last season, and he was a little volatile - he had some up games and down games, but he’s VERY GOOD at forcing turnovers. Interestingly, he’s coming off his worst 3 pt shooting year but his best overall shooting year. Kasean Pryor was the best forward on South Florida last season, and he may be the feature big for the Cardinals next season. He’s a long, versatile big with solid skills and very good shooting touch. He can shoot from outside, drive with the ball, pick and roll, pick and pop…having him at the 4 or 5 makes for a very dangerous offense. Pryor isn’t very sturdy or strong, but he’s awesome on the defensive glass and a decent shotblocker too. Noah Waterman and Aly Khalifa are also solid bigs, and teammates that head to Louisville from BYU. Both are capable 3pt shooters that have proven they can play the 5 in a 4-out offense - which is really interesting because that seems to be how Kelsey is constructing this team. Waterman is a better shooter and very efficient overall scorer (63% from 2, 37% from 3) and a pretty effective rebounder to boot. Although Khalifa isn’t a great scoring option, he’s a fantastic facilitator and passer as a big man - he was 34th in assist rate in the country last season.
Expect this team to look a lot like Kelsey’s recent teams: fast and offensively adept. They’re going to push tempo, play fast, and shoot and make a lot of threes. His last two Charleston teams have been Top 20 in 3 pt shooting rate and Top 50ish in tempo. Not sure how they’ll look defensively, but that won’t be their main focus. I AM sure that they’ll be a very fun team to watch - much more so than the last several Payneful years.
#33: Kansas State Wildcats
Returning
David N’Guessan (7.8 ppg - 58% / 17% / 42%)
Macaleab Rich (3.8 ppg - 69% / 0% / 54%)
Taj Manning (1.0 ppg - 63% / 33% / 43%)
Transfers
Dug McDaniel (16.3 ppg @ Michigan - 41% / 37% / 77%)
Achor Achor (16.1 ppg @ Samford - 59% / 44% / 71%)
Max Jones (15.3 ppg @ Cal State Fullerton - 38% / 39% / 79%)
Coleman Hawkins (12.1 ppg @ Illinois - 45% / 37% / 79%)
CJ Jones (11.4 ppg @ UIC - 43% / 38% / 62%)
Brendan Hausen (6.2 ppg @ Villanova - 39% / 38% / 87%)
Ugonna Onyenso (3.6 ppg @ Kentucky - 55% / 0% / 59%)
Baye Fall (0.8 ppg @ Arkansas - 50% / 0% / 33%)
Mobi Ikegwuruka (JUCO)
Recruits
David Castillo (ESPN #49 / 247Sports #54)
Jerome Tang’s 2nd year at Kansas State wasn’t quite as wildly successful as his first, which ended in a miraculous Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats finished 19-15, T-9th in the Big 12, missed the NCAA Tournament and lost to Iowa in the first round of the NIT. They were sound defensively once again, but the offense fell off a cliff. The Cats couldn’t shoot (209th in effective FG %; 285th in 3pt FG% despite shooting lots of them) and they were horrible at taking care of the ball (345th in turnover rate…gross). Tang knows he has to do better than that to stay competitive in the Big 12, and his work in the portal shows he’s ready to bounce back. Kansas State loses their Top 4 scorers from last season - Tylor Perry, Cam Carter, Arthur Kaluma, and Will McNair Jr. - but more than make up for these losses by adding 9 transfers and a Top 50 incoming freshman. Dug McDaniel was the best player on his Michigan team last season, and he’s going to be the 3rd and latest installment of the patented Jerome Tang “undersized, high-usage transfer point guard”. The dude seems to have a type, and Dug is a perfect fit for what he likes in a primary ball-handler and facilitator. He shoots pretty well from 3 (~37%), he has a very high assist rate, and he can be one of the top scorers on this team. Junior PG CJ Jones from UIC will likely serve as a backup for McDaniel. He’s a drive-first scorer on offense and also distributes the ball very effectively (Top 100 in ast rate), but he has some turnover problems. Max Jones from Cal State Fullerton is a critically important addition at shooting guard. Jones is a strong 3pt shooter (39%), who was one of the best guards in the country at drawing fouls on drives to the basket (28th in fouls drawn), as well as one of the better defending guards (65th in steal rate). He had kind of a brutal year in terms of making shots inside the arc (34% from 2) and he’s a bit of a turnover liability as well, so Tang will need him to clean those things up and be a more reliable presence in K-State’s somewhat thin backcourt. Brendan Hausen, the junior guard from Villanova, is a 3pt shooting specialist that will help pump up the Cats’ numbers from beyond the arc. He made 61 threes on 38% shooting - but he only shot inside the arc 16 times (vs. 160 beyond it), so he’s a bit one-dimensional.
The frontcourt is more heavily stocked than the backcourt - the Cats have some seriously talented big men this season. Super senior power forward David N’Guessan, a great offensive rebounder and very efficient scorer, is returning to Manhattan…but he’s not exactly the headliner among the Wildcats’ bigs. Tang’s biggest prize from the portal is Coleman Hawkins, the former Illinois forward. He saved up his NIL piggy bank waiting for a quality player to hit the transfer market after withdrawing from the draft - an interesting strategy! - and Hawkins was available based on exactly those circumstances. Hawkins is one of the most dynamic big men in the country - he’s a great shooter, he can put the ball on the floor, and he’s a solid passer for a big guy. While he can sometimes play unnecessary hero ball, his ability to score late in the shot clock is incredibly valuable, and his overall decision-making on offense seemed to improve last season. He’s not the most intimidating defender, but he can block some big shots and sneakily disrupt passing lanes. Achor Achor from Samford is an awesome rim-running forward with deep shooting range. He was a fantastic fit for the BuckyBall run-and-gun high tempo style, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tang push a similar pace, as they did two years ago. Achor is a statistical dream of a college hoops big man - he was 21st in the country in FG% (61% from 2, 44% from 3), he rebounds very well on both ends, he was Top 40 in block rate, and he draws fouls at a ridiculous rate and shoots 71% from the line. He can do literally everything (besides ball-handling) at an ELITE level. Ugonna Onyenso is a 7-foot center transfer from Kentucky with a 7’5” wingspan who has the potential to shine much more for these Wildcats. He doesn’t have much offensive game away from the rim, but he’s a good finisher and rebounder, and he’s very formidable in transition. But Onyenso has one skill where he is absolutely dominant: shot-blocking. Holy hell, can that guy block shots. For reference, Donovan Clingan and Cliff Omoruyi were between 11 - 13% in blocking percentage last year…Onyenso was above 15% when he played. 6’11” sophomore center Baye Fall from Arkansas will also provide some depth in the frontcourt, but we still don’t really know what he can do - he took 2 shots last year. Returning sophomore forward Macaleab Rich and JUCO transfer Mobi Ikegwuruka also give K-State some athletic options at SF / PF, but I’m not sure how much they’re ready to play in the Big 12.
I think Kansas State will be better than last year, but not as good as Tang’s first season - probably somewhere in between. Dug McDaniel is an awesome fit, and I think he has more upside than Tylor Perry. And the N’Guessan / Hawkins / Achor / Onyenso rotation is one of the scarier big man depth charts in the Big 12. It’s the rest of the team that concerns me. The only real wing on the team is the JUCO transfer, and who knows if he’s ready for Big 12 play. The backcourt is pretty thin overall, and they’re going to need Jones and/or Hausen to be really solid at the 2. I’m really curious to see who Tang starts and which lineups he rolls with consistently. I don’t think the Cats will contend at the very top of the league, but I think they’re very probably a tournament team this season.
#34: Providence Friars
Returning
Bryce Hopkins (15.5 ppg - 43% / 19% / 66%)
Jayden Pierre (9.5 ppg - 40% / 37% / 78%)
Corey Floyd (4.8 ppg - 34% / 25% / 69%)
Rich Barron (4.4 ppg - 44% / 43% / 57%)
Justyn Fernandez (4.1 ppg @ George Mason in 22-23)
Eli DeLaurier
Anton Bonke
Transfers
Wesley Cardet Jr. (18.7 ppg @ Chicago State - 44% / 34% / 72%)
Jabri Abdur-Rahim (12.2 ppg @ Georgia - 36% / 36% / 89%)
Bensley Joseph (9.6 ppg @ Miami - 41% / 36% / 78%)
Christ Essandoko (8.2 ppg @ Saint Joseph’s - 50% / 37% / 65%)
Recruits
Oswin Erhunmwunse (ESPN #31 for 2025 / 247Sports #43)
Ryan Mela
Kim English is one of the most interesting young coaches in the sport after putting in a surprisingly good first season as the head coach at Providence, defying popular sentiment that he wasn’t the most qualified candidate for the relatively high profile Big East job. Granted, he had the help of lottery pick Devin Carter, but he also lost the team’s 22-23 leading scorer Bryce Hopkins to injury early in the season. He also brought Josh Oduro with him from George Mason and helped him become one of the Big East’s best big men last season. This season presents an opportunity for English and Providence to capitalize on their momentum with a better finish than last year’s 6th place in the conference, especially as more parity is expected in the Big East this year than last. But that will be tough, as Carter and Oduro were EVERYTHING for this team last season. Experienced veteran PF Bryce Hopkins should lead the team in scoring, and 3rd leading scorer and starting PG Jayden Pierre is back. There are some other returning role players that will be important to the rotation next year - especially sophomore wing Rich Barron (redundant name!) and junior wing Corey Floyd - but the keys to how this team shapes up are among the intriguing incoming transfer class that English has assembled.
Offense was not a strength of the Friars last year, and English seems to have recognized that, as he clearly went shopping for some offensive firepower in the portal. Bensley Joseph is a sharpshooting guard from Miami who has improved in each of his first 3 years - he’s going to be critically important for a team that finished 247th in 3pt shooting last year. Jabri Abdur-Rahim is a big, experienced wing who lacks some consistency / efficiency, but can get hot and explode in big games. He had 34 pts at Rupp Arena last season in a somewhat close loss. The other two transfers are lesser known variables that could decide the Friars’ ceiling this season. Christ Essandoko is a 7 foot, 280 lb UNIT, who protects the rim, rebounds well, passes pretty well too, and can kinda stroke it from deep (37% from 3 last year for SJU). He only played 21 mpg, but he could end up being an x-factor at center. And last but certainly not least, Wesley Cardet Jr. He was one of two workhorses for his Chicago State team last season, leading them in utilization and scoring, but obviously playing in the Big East is a lot different than playing for Chicago State. His shooting numbers are solid, he’s a strong passer, and he gets to the free throw line regularly, but it’s reasonable to temper expectations for Wesley until we see how his game translates to a much higher level of competition.
The Friars need the offense to take a big step forward if they want to improve upon last year’s results. They have a lot more size, more shooters, and greater breadth of experience and scoring…but it’s one of those teams that will look very different and will have to figure out how the pieces fit together. Either way, at first glance, I’d say English did a decent job patching together a decent roster for his second year at the helm in Providence.
#35: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Returning
Jeremiah Williams (12.2 ppg - 44% / 21% / 78%)
Jamichael Davis (5.6 ppg - 37% / 22% / 52%)
Emmanuel Ogbole (2.1 ppg - 44% / 0% / 41%)
Transfers
Tyson Acuff (21.7 ppg @ Eastern Michigan - 43% / 29% / 81%)
Jordan Derkack (17.0 ppg @ Merrimack - 47% / 28% / 72%)
Zach Martini (8.4 ppg @ Princeton - 45% / 39% / 83%)
PJ Hayes (10.5 ppg @ San Diego - 43% / 40% / 79%)
Recruits
Airious Bailey (ESPN #2 / 247 Sports #2)
Dylan Harper (ESPN #4 / 247 Sports #3)
Lathan Sommerville (247Sports #116)
Dylan Grant
Bryce Dortch
Rutgers is coming off of a rough year…not only was the team not good (15-17, 100th in KenPom), it was also difficult to watch (298th in offensive efficiency…what the hell, man…and 5th in defensive efficiency). But there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the Scarlet Knights heading into the 2024-2025 season, mostly because of the two incoming Top 5 freshmen recruits. That’s right, you read that correctly, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights landed TWO 5 stars. Airious (Ace) Bailey and Dylan Harper have an opportunity to bring Rutgers hoops back to national relevance, which is something that Steve Pikiell has struggled to do on a consistent basis. And while we’ve learned that stacking 5 star freshmen is far from a guarantee for team success in college ball, these kids look like they may be good enough to carry a team. Bailey is a big 6’8” wing who looks like he’s already good enough to play in the NBA. Keep in mind, he’s unanimously considered the best player in this incoming class not named “Cooper Flagg”, who is predicted to be one of the better incoming freshmen of this century. Currently mocked as high as the 2nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Bailey is flying WAY under the radar for his talent level and would likely get WAY more media attention in almost any other year. He’s freakishly long and athletic, he can score at all 3 levels, and he seems to be a high-motor competitor who looks to impact the game outside of just scoring. Not to mention, he looks like he’s 3+ years older than the other players in his high school tapes. My only concern related to him is that he has one of the coolest first names in basketball history and still goes by the nickname “Ace”...Airious is an elite name that needs no nickname. Dylan Harper, son of former NBA great Ron Harper and brother of recent Rutgers great Ron Harper Jr., is considered the best incoming freshman guard in the country, and he’s also currently mocked as a Top 10 pick in the NBA Draft. He’s a big, strong lefty combo guard (~6’6”, 200+ lbs) who has received praise for being an equally effective scorer on and off the ball. He’s not necessarily a fantastic shooter yet but he’s going to be able to bully a lot of opposing guards and score all over the floor.
Aside from bringing in the two young NBA talents, Rutgers is also bringing in 4 transfers who will be in the rotation and returning a couple of key players from last year’s roster. Offensively, the Scarlet Knights’ backcourt was ABYSMAL last season. Pikiell recruited two transfer guards who he hopes will drastically improve their offensive play at the guard position: Tyson Acuff and Jordan Derkack. Acuff was the 7th highest scorer in D1 college basketball last season. He was a high-usage point guard who had to do everything for his former team - he was the only player on the team averaging 10+ points. He’s great at attacking the rim, okay in mid-range, but had a rough last season from 3 (29%)…maybe you can chalk some of that up to high usage as he shot 34% and 39% the two previous years. Rutgers was 350th in the country in 3FG% last year and they somehow shot worse than 29% as a team, so it looks like Acuff is still an upgrade for them in that department. And overall, he’s a massive upgrade at the PG position. Derkack is a shooting guard / wing who makes a lot of hustle plays and also loves to score at the rim. He was the best rebounder and 2nd best passer on his team (with an assist rate that beat most point guards’ - Top 150 in the country), he was Top 100 in steal rate, and he was one of the best players in the country at getting to the free throw line. His biggest weaknesses are turnovers and outside shooting - he only shot 27% from 3 last season. The other transfers may be relied upon to pour in a few more buckets from deep: PJ Hayes from San Diego and Zach Martini from Princeton are decent wings who both shot just under 40% from 3 last season.
Rutgers doesn’t return many players from last season’s roster, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Cliff Omoruyi and Aundre Hyatt are the biggest losses. But they do return their leading scorer, Senior guard Jeremiah Williams, who will need to serve the role as the veteran “glue guy” who helps the team gel together. Sophomore guard Jamichael Davis is also returning, and although he’s a solid defender, he needs to show a lot of improvement to earn minutes in the rotation this year. Sophomore center Emmanuel Ogbole is the presumed starter at the 5, but he is far from a proven player at this point, having only played 8 mpg. He’s huge (6’10”, 260 lbs), pretty athletic, and moderately effective on pick-and-rolls to the basket, but he’s a big dropoff from Big Cliff - his ceiling is probably 5-10 ppg and rpg, mostly as a role-playing big man and 5th scoring option.
The Scarlet Knights will go as far as the freshmen superstars are able to take them. This team will have a pretty damn good Starting 5, assuming Bailey and Harper are as good as advertised, but the talent level drops off pretty steeply after that. This team will undoubtedly be better on offense than last year’s squad, but I’m curious how much worse the defense will be. Cliff had the 3rd highest block rate and blocks-per-game average in the country - swapping him out for a young benchwarmer immediately makes Rutgers worse on that side of the ball. And while I think Bailey and Harper might be very good defenders, having two freshmen immediately play 25+ mpg while getting used to team defensive concepts may mean the defense starts out worse than it is eventually. We’ll see what the team’s ceiling is, but all eyes will be on the freshmen from the first game.