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Every weekday, a panel of our college hoops experts discusses the biggest issues, trends and themes happening in and around college basketball.
1. A new crop of freshmen has arrived. Who will be the best of this bunch?
Andy Katz: Well, I picked Jahlil Okafor of Duke as the player of the year, so I'll go with him. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has been open that he plans on funneling offensive through Okafor and wants him to eat up minutes. So he'll have plenty of opportunities to score big.
Myron Medcalf: I think Tyus Jones will stand out because he's such an efficient point guard who will play big minutes and a major role for a Duke squad that has national title hopes. Okafor, Stanley Johnson, Myles Turner, Cliff Alexander, Justin Jackson and D'Angelo Russell will all shine. But I think Jones could be this season's version of Tyler Ennis.
Eamonn Brennan: Many elite freshmen big men come in rated highly thanks in large part to their athleticism, or their combination of NBA skills, or what scouts think they'll be in three or four years. Okafor is the rare entrant who not only projects well but arrives with a polished game from the start. Given the huge minutes he'll draw at Duke, it's hard to imagine another freshman in this class being more productive more quickly.
2. Who is the top non-freshman in the country?
Katz: This is a tough call. I would have no issue with Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin or Marcus Paige of North Carolina, let alone Aaron Harrison of Kentucky. I'll lean toward Kaminsky. He's not the best talent and won't be the highest draft pick, but he may be one of the most important college players who isn't a freshman for a team in contention for the title.
Medcalf: I'll go with Fred VanVleet (5.4 APG to 1.3 TPG in 2013-14). He should be one of the nation's most efficient players again, and he'll score more, too.
Brennan: As much as I love Kaminsky, I think VanVleet has the slight edge here. What VanVleet did last season -- shooting 48.4/41.8/83 while basically never turning the ball over -- should be a model for every young point guard in the country. He may well be better this season, with more scoring to boot.
3. Both Duke and North Carolina are in the preseason top 10. Which team advances farther in the NCAA tournament?
Katz: Duke has the better big man in Okafor. Carolina has the best guard on either team in Paige. Guards win in March (see Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier of late). I'll go with Carolina.
Medcalf: Duke. I think the Blue Devils have the inside-outside balance that's necessary to advance in the tourney, and they have Okafor, who will be a problem every time he steps onto the floor. They can hurt you at all five spots.
Brennan: Can we see the bracket first? I'll take a guess and say Duke, because while I agree with Andy that guards win in March (hello, UConn!) it's not like the Blue Devils will be lacking in the backcourt come spring. If Duke is even average on defense this season, I think they're the slightly better team among two genuine national title threats.
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