The Wiggins Effect

Andrew Wiggins, the #1 basketball recruit in the country, committed to Kansas today. What does that mean? First, let's look at what it means for the other finalists who didn't get him.

Florida State

FSU was the sentimental favorite. His parents went there and the Seminoles were very seriously in the running. Their main problem is that they weren't good last year and they lost their only elite player (Michael Snaer). They haven't had many lottery picks in recent memory so that hurt their chances with Andrew.

As a team, even with Wiggins they were likely still sitting outside the Top 25 and only a potential bubble team. Without him they are headed towards another disappointing season like last year. Wiggins was a huge loss for them in recruiting.

North Carolina

UNC was where I thought would be the best landing spot for Wiggins. With him, they would have potentially unseated Kentucky from the top spot in the rankings. Williams knows how to churn out top picks as well so it made sense.

As a team without Wiggins, they are still among the nation's best. They return most from a fairly successful team, and add in some great recruits as it is. They will be a Top 15 or even Top 10 team come the regular season and will be right there with Duke and Syracuse fighting for the ACC title. Wiggins was a big loss for them, but there is hope still and excitement for the season (unlike Florida State).

Kentucky

To put it simply, they will be just fine. Kentucky's recruiting class is still regarded as potentially the best of all-time. Those freshmen and the key players returning make up a team that most consider the best in the country (preseason of course). Losing Wiggins to Kansas doesn't change that at all. In fact, they could be better off for it because the pressure won't be near as high on them as it would have been with Wiggins. Coach Cal is still pumped about this coming season.

Kansas

So what does this mean for the Jayhawks, the team that gets "the best prospect since Lebron"? It means they will be very good. It means that they go from a team ranked around 20 to a team inside the Top 10 or even Top 5. It puts them ahead of Oklahoma State as the Big 12 favorites once again. It gives them a legit shot at the Final Four or even National Championship. It gives them one of the best starting lineups in college basketball (Tharpe, Seldon, Wiggins, Ellis, Embiid).

BUT, they now have enormous pressure on them again. PLUS, Wiggins will have tremendous pressure on him to be "the guy" and that can be hard. We saw players recently like Harrison Barnes and Shabazz Muhammed melt under the pressure of being #1 and that highly regarded.

College Basketball (as a whole)

I loved last season. It was exciting and fun watching all the parity everywhere. Any team could be any other. But this year could be even better. There are more "top" teams and it's a pretty even spread. Think about these races:

ACC - Duke, UNC, Syracuse (newly added)...
Big 12 - Kansas (Wiggins) vs. Oklahoma State (Smart)
Big Ten - Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State...
SEC - Kentucky (freshmen) vs. Florida (vets)

The new Big East will be filled with good games, along with the new American Conference. Plus, if Alford can coach well at UCLA, they may seriously challenge Arizona who looks great on paper. So if you weren't looking forward to next season yet, you better start!

By: The Sports Guys