Dribble Handoff: Florida State, Texas A&M amongst school basketball bounce-back groups in 2022-23 season

The 2021-22 school basketball season marked a bounce-back 12 months for a number of the sport’s greatest applications. Arizona, Duke, Kentucky and Indiana have been among the many notable manufacturers to make the NCAA Event in March after lacking it in 2021. However even after these blue bloods returned to the Huge Dance, there are nonetheless some applications in want of bounce-back seasons in 2022-23.

Getting issues again on monitor may be completed shortly within the fashionable period of faculty basketball, even for first-year coaches. Tommy Lloyd’s speedy turnaround at Arizona is a good instance; the ex-Gonzaga assistant led the Wildcats to a Pac-12 championship and No. 1 seed within the NCAA Event in 2022 throughout his first 12 months on the job. Granted, the Wildcats have been loaded with expertise from Sean Miller’s tenure and had been banned from the 2021 NCAA Event, however it was nonetheless a monumental bounce-back season nonetheless. 

On the opposite finish of the spectrum was Duke, which executed a big turnaround with Forty second-year coach Mike Krzyzewski and reached the Remaining 4 after lacking the match altogether in 2021.

Some bounce-back groups additionally got here from outdoors the blue-blood ranks. Notre Dame and Richmond put disappointing 2020-21 outcomes behind them and gained video games within the 2022 NCAA Event. 

Because the 2022-23 season creeps nearer, what are the groups that could possibly be in retailer for redemption? For this week’s version of the Dribble Handoff, our writers are choosing the groups they assume will make the 2023 NCAA Event after lacking it in 2022.

Texas A&M went 11-2 in its last 13 video games main into the 2022 NCAA Event Choice Present and had a compelling case to be an at-large staff. The Aggies did not make the bracket, although, principally due to an eight-game dropping streak that preceded the nice run and broken the résumé an excessive amount of. They completed simply on the fallacious aspect of the bubble. It was clearly disappointing, however I do not consider Buzz Williams’ program must sweat Choice Sunday this season as a result of seven of the highest 9 scorers from final season’s staff are again — together with double-digit scorers Henry Coleman and Tyrece Radford.

The Aggies ought to be good. I’ve them 18th within the CBS Sports activities High 25 And 1, which interprets to fifth within the SEC (behind solely Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and Auburn). Which means, barring a shock, Williams ought to quickly be part of the record of coaches who’ve taken three completely different colleges to the NCAA Event. He beforehand did it at Marquette and Virginia Tech. He’ll do it at Texas A&M come March. — Gary Parrish

A whole lot of good candidates to think about; I checked out Virginia and Dayton intently. However I will be going with the X Males, which have an opportunity to usurp the Huge East throne and turn into the highest staff within the post-Jay Wright Huge East. If something, that is your 2023 Huge East darkish horse. Xavier went 23-13 final season, flailing late and taking part in itself out of the Dance after it appeared casually apparent for almost all of the season that Travis Steele would get this system again into the tourney. Due to that, this program is dealing with its longest NCAA Event drought in four-plus many years. Xavier final made the NCAAs in 2018. The followers are aching for a return to kind.

Sean Miller is again the place he thrived (2004-09) and inherits a pair of fine bigs in 7-footer Jack Nunge and 6-foot-9 energy ahead Zach Freemantle. I like junior guard Colby Jones’ potential to make a leap, and I believe the identical occurs for KyKy Tandy. Seven of Miller’s high eight minutes-getters could be juniors and seniors. Most of these gamers being Xavier guys from the bounce (i.e. non-transfers) will matter considerably. There may be measurement, velocity, rebounding and, I believe, a top-25 offense lurking right here. Not solely will X make it again to the NCAA Event, I believe it flirts with a top-four seed and turns into one of many greatest comeback tales of the season. — Matt Norlander

Florida is the obvious guess of all non-tourney groups to get again to the Huge Dance subsequent season. There’s some uncertainty that comes with the Gators — Mike White moved on to Georgia by his personal accord, so UF employed 37-year-old Todd Golden — however in that uncertainty I’ve confidence. Golden is a rising star within the career who famously leans arduous into analytics, which helped him construct one thing particular at San Francisco. It ought to be a long-term improve in philosophy from the previous teaching workers.

Florida has assembled an extremely enjoyable roster for subsequent season already, too. All 4 of its transfers — Will Richard, Alex Fudge, Kyle Lofton and Trey Bonham — have contributor potential from Day 1. Richard, particularly, profiles as a breakout star after shining at Belmont. Issue them in to what the Gators return — amongst these being Colin Castleton — and you’ve got a roster able to put this system again into the nationwide highlight the place it belongs as an NCAA Event staff. — Kyle Boone

Florida State’s tough run with accidents performed a giant half in why the Seminoles completed 17-14 (10-10 ACC) final season, snapping a streak of 4 straight NCAA Event appearances. With that stretch of unhealthy luck prior to now, FSU is poised for a return to the Huge Dance. 

Returning are main scorers Caleb Mills and Matthew Cleveland, and the Noles simply added the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class. Mills averaged 12.7 factors, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per recreation in 26 appearances final season, although the Houston switch was additionally not proof against harm. Cleveland averaged 11.5 factors and 4.6 rebounds as a real freshman and is poised to take a giant step, together with fellow sophomore Jalen Warley. Cleveland and Warley have been every top-35 prospects from the Class of 2021, in response to 247Sports, and each appear to be breakout candidates within the ACC. 

One other breakout candidate is Cam’Ron Fletcher, a flexible ahead who performed a few of his greatest basketball down the stretch final season after transferring in from Kentucky. Coming into his twenty first season, coach Leonard Hamilton has constructed a powerful and regular program that seems to have the inspiration required to execute a fast bounce again to its typical 20-win flooring. — David Cobb