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It’s never too early to start forecasting which men’s college basketball teams are primed to make a tournament run during 2019’s March Madness. Although the ultimate goal of every school earning a tourney bid is to reach the national championship game, battle-tested coaches will be preaching to their players to take it one game at a time.
The 2019 Final Four will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, but teams must first reach the Sweet 16. The squads who are fortunate to advance to the third round will only be two victories shy of making a final four appearance.
These college basketball teams are primed to make the Sweet 16 round for the 2018-19 season.
Purdue
Purdue will be looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season in 2018-19 and will have talented 6-foot-1 point guard Carsen Edwards directing the offense.
The Boilermakers set a program record with 30 wins in 2017-18 before getting eliminated by Texas Tech. 7-foot-3 Dutch sophomore Matt Haarms blocked 79 shots as a redshirt freshman and will look to become a force inside the paint for Coach Matt Painter. Purdue also has some solid contributors in Grady Eifert, Nojel Eastern and Ryan Cline, and are a good bet to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in school history.
West Virginia
Coach Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers will be eyeing their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the last five seasons. Unfortunately, Virginia must replace point guard and star defender Jevon Carter, who is now with the Memphis Grizzlies.
A menacing frontline that includes Lamont West, Sagabe Konate, Esa Ahmad and highly-touted JUCO transfer Andrew Gordon should help keep the Mountaineers near the top of the ultra-competitive Big 12 Conference. Freshman point guard Jordan McCabe, who was named Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin as a senior, might be the heir apparent to Carter.
Auburn
The Tigers enjoyed a banner year in 2017-18 and have the talent to reach even greater heights in 2018-19. A team on the rise, Coach Bruce Pearl’s squad won the 2017-18 SEC regular season title for the first time since 1999. This season’s team should be helped by the return of Austin Wiley, a dominant 6-foot-11 big man who missed the entire 2017-18 season due to eligibility issues.
Auburn posted an impressive 25-6 mark, yet lost to Clemson in the second round of the NCAA tourney. Senior Bryce Brown and Junior Jared Harper will lead an experienced group that has its sights set on a Sweet 16 appearance.
Indiana
The Hoosiers recruited sweet-shooting guard Romeo Langford, a McDonald’s All-American and Indiana Mr. Basketball, and will be looking to rebuild one of college basketball’s storied programs back into a national title contender.
Coach Archie Miller has a budding superstar in Juwan Morgan who made great strides on both ends of the court in 2017-18, and a trio of scorers in Devonte Green, Justin Smith and De’Ron Davis. Indiana has the pieces to make a surprising run in the NCAA tournament, yet the program is a few top recruits away from becoming a legitimate contender for a national championship.
Tennessee
The Volunteers surprised more than a few teams during the 2017-18 campaign as former Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes transformed a .500 team in 2016-17 into a 26-9 squad that won a share of the SEC regular season crown last year.
Tennessee will boast the conference’s best frontline in Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. The Volunteers came up short against Kentucky in the conference tournament final, yet have the talent to make a serious run at winning a national championship in 2018-19.
Michigan
The Wolverines won their second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title in 2017-18 and advanced to the national title game for the first time since 2013. However, head coach John Beilein must replace the core players who helped Michigan reach the Final Four. The Wolverines do return 6-foot-6 shooting guard Charles Matthews, who is an elite defender and a consistent scorer.
Other returning players who are expected to make significant contributions include Isaiah Livers, Jordan Poole, Jon Teske, and Zavier Simpson. Michigan also landed the 247Sports 12th ranked recruiting class in the nation and will be seeking to make another run at a national championship.
Kansas State
The Wildcats embarked on a surprising NCAA tournament run in 2017-18 and returned all five starters from a team that reached the Elite Eight. This year point guard Kamau Stokes will be at the helm of the offense for head coach Bruce Weber. Stokes’ ball handling skills and ability to create shots for his teammates will be critical to the continued success of K-State.
Guard Barry Brown is an explosive scorer, and big man Dean Wade has overcome injuries and is ready to make an impact. The expectations for this group will be high, yet the Wildcats have the talent to make another deep tournament run in March.
Michigan State
The Spartans have not made a Sweet 16 appearance in two years, which is considered a drought by Michigan State standards. Head Coach Tom Izzo lost a wealth of talent as both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges were 2018 lottery picks. Although it will not be easy to replace the two standouts, the Spartans cupboard is far from empty.
Cassius Winston will be the point guard and showed vast improvement in 2017-18. His continued development will go a long ways toward the success of the team. The 6-foot-9 power forward Nick Ward has the potential to develop into a viable offensive weapon, and Josh Langford will have to become a consistent scoring threat if Michigan State is to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.
Virginia
The Cavaliers will be looking to erase the memory of their historic loss in the 2018 NCAA tournament at the hands of the UMBC. Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to suffer a loss against a No. 16 seed in the history of the men’s tourney.
Virginia will once again feature a tenacious defense and return a wealth of experience in Ty Jerome, De’Andre Hunter, Jack Salt, and Kyle Guy. With a chip on their shoulders, Virginia is a hungry team that has the talent to contend for the national title.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels had reached the Sweet 16 for three consecutive seasons before Roy Williams’ team made in an early exit in 2017-18. North Carolina must replace starters Joel Berry and Theo Pinson, yet return 6-foot-8 forward Luke Maye along with Cameron Johnson and Kenny Williams.
North Carolina has the nation’s 14th-ranked recruiting class, which boasts 6-foot-7 forward Nassir Little. The MVP of the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game is one of the top prospects in the nation and is already projected to be a 2019 lottery pick.
Villanova
The reigning national champions said good-bye to four key members, including National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson and NBA lottery pick Mikal Bridges, from the 2017-18 squad that topped Michigan in the national title game.
The Wildcats have won two of the past three national championships, yet will be hard-pressed to win back-to-back titles in 2018-19. Head coach Jay Wright did reel in a top-10 recruiting class that includes Jahvon Quinerly and Cole Swider. Quinerly is a five-star guard and a gifted ball handler who is expected to run the offense, while Swider was a member of the 2018 USA Junior National Select Team and will get significant minutes for the Wildcats.
Nevada
Nevada returns a trio of playmakers and will be looking for back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2018-19. Coach Eric Musselman welcomes back twins Caleb and Cody Martin, who originally opted for the NBA Draft in 2018, yet withdrew their applications at the last minute.
The Wolf Pack has added 6-foot-11 freshman center Jordan Brown, a McDonald’s All-American, to fortify the inside. Nevada’s uptempo style of play is exciting to watch, and the reigning Mountain West Conference regular-season champions appear primed to make a deep tournament run.
Gonzaga
The Bulldogs advanced to the national championship game for the first time in school history in 2017 and welcomed back an experienced group that could help Gonzaga return to the Final Four in 2019.
Senior point guard Josh Perkins will direct the offense while the duo of Killian Tille and Zach Norvel – whom all averaged in double digits in 2017-2018 – provide the scoring punch for a balanced attack.
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks enter the new season as the overwhelming favorites to win the Big 12 title and is a legitimate contender for the national championship.
Head coach Bill Self received a pair of gifts during the offseason when Udoka Azubuike, a 7-footer from Nigeria, decided to return for his junior season. The second gift was talented Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson arrived in Lawrence. Lawson is a national player of the year candidate for the Jayhawks. Finally, Kansas also landed one of the nation’s top recruits in Quentin Grimes, as the program seeks its first NCAA crown since 2008.
Duke Blue Devils
There should be a law against any team signing the top three players in the country. However, since there are no such restrictions, Duke added the cream of the crop of the Class of 2018 with R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Zion Williamson.
It will take time for the young and inexperienced Blue Devils to transition to life in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference, yet Coach Mike Krzyzewski will have his talented squad ready to make a tournament run once March Madness rolls around.
Kentucky Wildcats
Similar to death and taxes, Kentucky competing for a national title has become just a part of life for college basketball fans. Coach John Calipari has another elite squad that is the favorite to be celebrating in Minneapolis come early April.
The Wildcats have a nice mix of returning players in P.J. Washington, Nick Richards, and Quade Green. Blend in a group of talented freshmen including Keldon Johnson, Immanuel Quickley and E.J. Montgomery and you have a championship calibre team. And if that isn’t enough, Kentucky also added Stanford transfer Reid Travis, who is a two-time Pac-12 first-team selection.
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