Baseball season has come to an end, but this is just the beginning; college basketball is right around the corner. A lot of changes have circulated in college basketball, whether it be coaching changes such as longtime Kentucky head coach John Calipari moving to Arkansas and Virginia head coach Tony Bennett retiring due to changes in the game or the emergence of big-name freshmen and transfers joining their new college teams, such as Cooper Flagg heading to Duke or Jeremy Roach transferring from Duke to Baylor, the Big 12’s top basketball school. With these changes, it’s a brand-new season, which means brand new rankings. I will discuss, in my opinion, the top three dark horses to make the Final Four.
One of the biggest surprises after this offseason’s transfer portal is Rutgers. With the acquisitions of the top two high school prospects and projected lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Rutgers’ trajectory has skyrocketed from last season. Even though it has been proven time and again that freshmen can crumble under pressure during the big dance, these two have the key factors to help push this team through a deep March run.
The second team I believe is a dark horse this college basketball season is the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have a strong veteran core, along with newcomers Szymon Zapala and forward Frankie Fidler. Unfortunately, over the past few years, this Michigan State team has regressed and has not shown promise since they knocked out Zion Williamson’s Duke team. I believe their course will change due to their strength of schedule. With Tom Izzo back for his 30th season calling the shots, I believe this is his year.
The final team I would like to highlight as a potential dark horse is the Indiana Hoosiers. This offseason, the Hoosiers brought in former Arizona big Oumar Ballo and second-year player Kanaan Carlyle. With the departure of Kel’el Ware, having an established presence like Ballo, who is seen as one of the best defenders in college basketball will definitely boost Indiana’s defense, which was a catastrophe last season. Will these teams have what it takes to reach the final stage? Only time will tell.
Photo Credits: Greg Patuto
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