It’s never too early to look ahead!
For a list of the five dark horse contenders who could reach the 2023 Final Four, check out below.
In no particular order:
TCUs: The Horned Frogs returned 89% of the points scored, 21 wins in the NCAA Tournament, and all five starters on a team that was inches away from beating Arizona. Veteran guard Mike Miles (15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists) should aim for All-His American honors as a junior, while the rest of TCU’s starters — Damien Beau, Chuck O’Bannon Jr., Emmanuel Miller and Eddie Lampkin — is everyone. It boasts caliber potential for every meeting. This would be Jamie Dixon’s best team at his alma mater since he became head coach of TCU in 2016.
San Diego State: Mountain West’s flagship program hasn’t reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2014, but it has a great chance of doing so in 2023. 5.4 rebounds) and 6-10 veteran Nathan Mensah as Current Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. , returned as a valuable role player who played an average of over 15 minutes for last year’s team that lost to Clayton. TCU transfer Jedon Reedy is expected to make a big impact up front, while Seattle transfer Darrion Trammell (17.4 points) should add immediate attack and agility. San Diego State University head coach Brian Dutcher said he had a 30-2 record in his 2019-20 season before the cancellation of his NCAA Tournament due to COVID, giving him the opportunity to coach as a high seed in the bracket. did not get Don’t be shocked if he gets the chance to do so again in March 2023.
Virginia: Can you miss the NCAA Tournament one year and play deep in the bracket the next? Yes, if that team is Virginia. The Cavaliers, headlined by his fifth-grade senior pair of Kihei Clarke and Jayden Gardner, are returning his 93.1% of scoring for a 21-win team last season. Virginia’s five scheduled starters (Clark, Reese He Beekman, Armaan Franklin, Jayden Gardner, and Kadin Shedrick) are all juniors, seniors, or graduate students. Ohio-transferred Ben Vander’s plus (14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds) should also make an immediate impact thanks to his outside shooting (his 67 3-point shots in the 2021-22 season). Expect big leaps in Charlottesville.
Indiana: The Hoosiers may be considered the Big Ten favorites by default, but the facts cannot be disputed: Indiana returned 90.9% of the scoring from teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, beating All-America Trace. – Jackson Davis and Race Thompson. Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp are also returning as starters, while Jordan Geronimo, Trey Galloway and Tamar Bates are rotation players with game experience. Indiana also added freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau to his five-star rookies. Bloomington’s talent base has improved dramatically.
Tennessee: It’s not an oversight, it’s an insult. If you consider both Zakai Zeigler and Olivier Nkamhoua to be starting his caliber players (I think), Tennessee has four of the top five scorers, 27 games and he has won the SEC Tournament. He returns four starters from last season’s team. His two other Vols starters, Santiago Vescobi and Josiah Jordan James, should be All-Conference players in 2022-23. Add five-star freshman Julian Phillips and you have a team that looks like the top challenger to SEC Kentucky in terms of staff return and overall experience.
leftovers
