In no particular order, here’s my first 10 thoughts following this college basketball season.
1. The transfer portal and NIL is great for college basketball. With an average roster turnover of about 30% last offseason and that number rising this year, parity in the sport is at an all-time high. Teams now have an opportunity to assemble a championship caliber roster from scratch in just 1 off-season. It’s never been easier to turn a program around. Making a splash in the portal is almost essential for a championship team nowadays. Just look at UConn — Tristen Newton from East Carolina, Nahiem Alleyne from Virginia Tech, and Joey Calcaterra from San Diego.
2. Say goodbye to the dominance of traditional Blue Bloods. For only the third time in my life the big five of UCLA, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke all missed the Final Four. Times are changing. The G-League and League Ignite steal a few top players each year now that would normally be dominating on those teams, and coaches are adapting to the new transfer portal. Dusty May and Florida Atlantic are returning 8 of 9 players from a Final Four team, Eric Musselman and Arkansas have made back to back to back Sweet 16s, start getting used to seeing different schools making deep tournament runs.
3. I love Brian Dutcher. San Diego State may have fell short in the title game, but that shouldn’t take away how great this team is. At San Diego State since 1999, a rare example of loyalty in the college game. Dutcher has found consistent success with his defensive focused approach — 32 wins this year, 23 in ’22, 23 in ’21, and 30 in ’20, this program isn’t going anywhere. The best part is the affect he has on his players. He may have lost the championship but he’s winning at life. Changing the lives of these young men.
4. Thank you, Drew Timme. Over the past 4 year Timme has been the face of Gonzaga. Playing in over 130 games and averaging over 18 points each of the past 3 seasons, no one has done a better job representing their school than Timme and the Zags. Similar to Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jacquez leaving UCLA, it will take some getting used to seeing Gonzaga without Timme and his iconic mustache.
5. Best moment of the year: 14 seed Furman and JP Pegues knocking off Virginia. You’ll see this one for years. A truly unbelievable sequence.
6. Team I am most excited to see next year: The Florida Atlantic Owls. Dusty May has made FAU into a national powerhouse in just 4 years. FAU finished the season with a record of 35-4, the most wins in the country. They are so fun to watch. Offensively the ball is a hot potato, they spread the floor with shooters and never stop moving. May goes deep into his bench playing 9 guys above 15 minutes per game, and watch out because 8 of those 9 are returning. Led by tough guards Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis, FAU will be ranked inside the Top 15 to start out next year. San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said himself that if FAU returns all 8 guys, they may not lose a game.
7. We need to stop underestimating first year head coaches. This season we saw multiple first year coaches have great success. Jerome Tang take Kansas State to the Elite 8 after being picked to finish dead last in the Big 12, Sean Miller with Xavier finished 2nd in the Big East, and Jon Scheyer has Duke as the way-too-early favorite to cut down the nets next year (10/1 odds per OddsShark). Next year there are a few massive coaching changes that will shake up the landscape. At Syracuse, Adrian Autry is finally taking over for Boeheim after 47 years, national champion Rick Pitino is back at a high major with St. John’s, and Chris Beard is now at Ole Miss! Beard has already shown at both Texas Tech and Texas how quickly he can take a program to elite levels. Don’t be surprised if one of Syracuse, Ole Miss, or St. John’s finds themselves on a deep tournament run after not even making it this year.
8. The stretch 4 is currently the most valuable position in the college game. Last years North Carolina team was a perfect example of this. The sharpshooting from Brady Manek was everything for that team. After coming one half away from being national champions, UNC was preseason #1. Manek graduates — UNC doesn’t replace him with shooting and poof! There goes UNC down the gutter. Now look at this years final four. Miami? Utilize athletic playmaker Jordan Miller at the 4. FAU? Dusty May plays 4 guards all under 6’5 alongside the 7′ Goldin. UConn? Knockdown shooter Alex Karaban stretches the floor. San Diego State? They don’t beat Alabama or FAU without Micah Parrish’s three point shooting. The ground and pound teams that lack shooting have not been performing well in March lately — I think of programs like Tennessee, Virginia, and Indiana. Teams must adapt to the new age and put out lineups that space the floor offensively.
9. Not every long range 3 deserves an “Onions!” If you aren’t familiar, color commentator Bill Raftery has a signature call for when someone takes and makes a big shot — onions! The catch phrase has garnered more and more popularity up until this season when social media outlets starting regularly using onions to describe big shots. The other night Caitlin Clark hit a logo 3 and I saw a tweet saying “Onions!” but upon watching the clip, I saw it was in the 1st quarter! Come on people, no shot taken in the 1st quarter deserves an Onions! Iconic moments only.
10. Lastly, if you aren’t following The Field of 68, you’re missing out on the best college basketball content out there. Founded by college basketball writer Rob Dauster, the field of 68 is the only media outlet that delivers college basketball coverage and content all year long. Retired coach Chris Mack and Big East broadcaster and reporter John Fanta add a professional touch and flare that can’t be found anywhere else. I lived for the “AFTER DARK” livestreams following each day of March Madness. If you call yourself of college basketball fan, this is the good stuff.