Let’s revisit a topic from earlier in the year…
The talk of college basketball by and large this year has been
the great freshmen class that has played extremely well this season. But let’s not
forget, there are some other great players in college basketball too. I’m
talking about those guys who have played multiple years in college. So today,
I’m picking a team (10 players) of freshmen, and then a team with everyone else
(sophomores, juniors, seniors). Then we’ll debate on who would win:
Youth
PG Tyler Ennis Syracuse
SG Andrew
Wiggins Kansas
SF Jabari Parker Duke
PF Julius Randle Kentucky
C Joel Embiid Kansas
G Marcus
Foster Kansas State
SG James Young Kentucky
F Aaron Gordon Arizona
PF Jordan Mickey LSU
PF Noah Vonleh Indiana
Experience
PG Marcus Smart Oklahoma
State
SG Gary Harris Michigan State
SF Sean
Kilpatrick Cincinnati
PF Doug
McDermott Creighton
C Adreian
Payne Michigan State
PG Shabazz Napier Connecticut
SG Russ Smith Louisville
SG Nick Johnson Arizona
F Kyle
Anderson UCLA
C Cameron
Bairstow New Mexico
The Case for Youth: To
put it simply, just look at that starting lineup. All of them star for some of
the top teams in the country, and many are in the discussion for NPOY. Also,
the top 4 of the upcoming draft are on that team, and Ennis, Vonleh, Gordon,
and Young are also potential Top Ten picks. The other two players on the roster
are Foster, who averages over 15 points a game, and Mickey, who puts up 13.5
and 7.5 (along with 3.5 blocks). That’s an impressive lineup.
A big edge for the freshmen team would be athleticism and
versatility, as many of the players can play all over the court. They also have
a size advantage throughout the lineup. Even the guards are big and they have
better depth in the frontcourt. This would be a formidable squad for sure.
The Case for
Upperclassmen: One of the big differences making these teams was that it
was hard to complete the freshmen team because of lack of stars… But it was
harder completing the upperclassmen team because there are so many. I mean, I
left out some flat out studs: Craft, Cotton, Early, Brown, Thames, Wilbekin,
Hood, Kane, Fair, Stauskas, Warren, Patterson, etc. This makes the team
extremely deep, along with the fact they are obviously more experienced.
The biggest edge I see though is on offense and in the
backcourt. College basketball is all about the guards, and that’s where the
strength of this team is. They have arguably five guards I’d prefer over the
first freshmen guard. And I don’t see the freshmen matching this team’s scoring
prowess. McDermott is a big reason, but Kilpatrick and Bairstow also average over
20 points a game (freshmen squad has none). And all ten players can shoot it
from deep, while only three players on the freshmen team would be considered
consistent shooters from outside. This scoring edge likely cancels out the size
disadvantage.
The Result: I
think this is a fairly even contest, and I think a lot would depend on who was
coaching. But the bottom line is that the upperclassmen hold an advantage due
to their experience and scoring ability. I don’t think the freshmen could keep
up on the scoreboard, especially when they turn to the bench. We’ve also seen
some very inconsistent play from the freshmen (outside of maybe Parker and
Ennis). That costs them.
Experience 100, Youth
89
By: The Sports Guys
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