1. Arizona Wildcats
Every year, the same question alludes Sean Miller and the Wildcats: Is this the year they break through to the Final Four?
After losing Pac-12 All-Defensive team member Kadeem Allen and a lottery pick in Lauri Markkanen, it’d seem that the Wildcats would be dealing with another mini-rebuild that would keep them a step back from their successes of the previous season.
That assumption couldn’t be more false.
In a surprising turn of events, sophomore Allonzo Trier, who was named MVP of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament, announced his intentions to return to Tucson in hopes of bringing the school its first Final Four appearance since 2001.
Joining Trier on a mission to bring national supremacy back to Tucson are three other starters of last season’s Pac-12 championship team: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Rawle Alkins and Dusan Ristic. Alkins, a five-star prospect of the 2016 class, also made the decision to return to Tucson after testing the waters of the NBA Draft Combine.
Along with the star returnees, the Wildcats also welcome the nation’s third-ranked recruiting class, headlined by five-star center DeAndre Ayton. Along with Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. and Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Ayton could be in play for the top overall pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
Next: ASU Men’s Basketball: Luguentz Dort commits to Arizona State
With a star-studded cast that potentially holds multiple first-round NBA Draft picks, it’s no question that Miller has the best team he’s assembled during his time in Tucson. Barring the unthinkable, this team will lock up another Pac-12 title and cruise through conference play. The question is, can they get the job done in March?