Madness already building in college basketball

The timing of this article could be seen as a little strange, as we are currently in the midst of one of the more evenly matched and compelling NBA playoffs in years. But as a total college basketball junkie, I felt it my duty to commemorate the heights reached at the NCAA level this past season, while providing a scouting report for those who are (wisely) not spending their time poring over recruiting blogs.

The 2012–13 season was one of the more exciting in recent memory, with the University of Louisville rolling to their first national title since 1986. The year also saw the return to dominance of several storied programs, most notably the University of Michigan Wolverines, who made it all the way to the championship game after 20 years of obscurity that plagued the program since the departure of the Fab Five.

As always, March Madness was not without its Cinderella story. This year, it arrived in the form of the high-flying act that was the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles, a tiny mid-major conference team affectionately dubbed “Dunk City” who came out of nowhere to become the first 15-seed to make a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the history of the NCAA tournament.

And as thrilling as last year was, next season is already shaping up to be one of the best in decades.

The incoming freshman class is historically loaded, led by Andrew Wiggins, who many consider to be the best pro prospect since LeBron James in 2003. On National Signing Day last Tuesday, Wiggins announced the perennial powerhouse University of Kansas as his school of choice, and the Jayhawks, whom many believed were poised for a down year, suddenly became one of the early title favorites. Joining them on that list is the University of Kentucky, a team that scored five of the top 10 recruits in the nation and will welcome back several of last year’s key players to the lineup. Unsurprisingly, the Wildcats will enter the preseason as the consensus No. 1.

Somewhat forgotten in all of the hype of new recruits is the fact that Louisville comes back in 2013–14 with almost the same roster as the one that cut down the nets in April. And perennial juggernauts Duke University and Michigan State University will enter next season loaded with talent, each heavy favorites in their respective conferences.

The controversial “one-and-done” rule, which mandates that players must be one year removed from their high school graduation before becoming eligible for the NBA draft, means that many of the most talented underclassmen inevitably bolt to the pros after breakout years. But there were exceptions to the trend in 2013, most notably Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, a projected top-three pick who surprised many by turning down NBA money in favor of returning to the Cowboys for his sophomore season.

What all of this means is that next year is going to be simply incredible. For those of you out there who have lost interest in the sport, now is the time to come back to us, or you might miss out on something great.