One and Done: What Could Have Been

Well that was pretty painful to watch.

For two teams that earned their right to play in the National Title Game, they sure weren't into the idea of putting on a show.    Butler shot less than twenty percent from the field, and the two teams combined for only eleven assists.  That's probably because they both tossed the ball up at the rim every chance they got to pad their rebounding statistics for a combined ninety-one rebounds.  Rather than reliving the high school basketball game that most of us witnessed last night, lets think about what could have been.

The best players in the nation come to college with one goal in mind, making it to the NBA.  For the top prospects that usually means one and done.  They play one year for a top basketball program to pay their dues to make it to the NBA.  They aren't in college for the glory of winning the NCAA Title.  Even if they were, the payday on the end of a draft selection is more money than most of the these kids could dream of having.  But what if the NBA had the same rules as the NFL requiring a player to be out of high school for three years and most stayed for the full four years?  Who would we have seen this weekend in the Final Four, and would we be treated as fans to a better championship than we saw last night?

The NCAA Tournament this year would have showcased Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Evan Turner, and Blake Griffin as seniors.  There is a wealth of underclassman talent with Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall at the top.  UCLA(7) would easily be a top eight team with Love and Holiday in their senior and junior seasons respectively.  Kentucky(4) would be a lock as a number one seed returning Wall, Cousins, Patterson, and Bledsoe from last year's team to pair with Brandon Knight and Josh Harrelson.  Syracuse(3) would have Johnny Flynn and Wesley Johnson as seniors to create a dominating force in the Big East.  Even the top seeded Buckeyes would add top talent with Evan Turner returning for a senior season.  After seeing Blake Griffin's true potential in the NBA who knows what he could have done in four seasons in college with fellow guard Willie Warren by his side as a junior this season.  The PAC-10 would have shown more life this season with Jerryd Bayless pairing with Derrick Williams for Arizona and O.J. Mayo teaming with DeMar DeRozan for USC.  One scary thought would be if John Calipari didn't leave Memphis since Derrick Rose would still be around.  If that was the case would John Wall and his other recruits have come to Memphis instead of Kentucky?  Either way Calipari's team would be stacked from years of recruiting all hanging around to play for him.

So if we were so lucky to see the top NBA prospects stick around for a full education, who would be cutting down the nets?  Kansas would have the best front court in the nation with Cole Aldrich returning to team with the Morris twins.  Xavier Henry would provide immediate scoring help to the Jayhawk's front court. They would likely take over the top overall seed for the tournament.  As the rich get richer, Ohio State would get even better with Evan Turner returning.  He would provide the Buckeyes with a true scorer giving them a dominant front court between Turner and Sullinger.  Kentucky, or wherever Calipari was recruiting to these past two years, would strike fear in any team they faced.  Giving Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Patterson a second year to play together and adding Brandon Knight and Josh Harrelson's recent emergence, the Wildcats would be poised for a late tournament run.  Rounding out the top four could be UCLA, but I like Syracuse with their senior leaders Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, and Rick Jackson.  Flynn would immediately help the back court, which is in need of a guard who made smart decisions.  Returning Flynn and Johnson would put them over the top as the team to beat in the Big East.  Between the four teams, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Kentucky, and Syracuse, I would put Kansas and Kentucky through as the most talented well-rounded teams.

So last night, we would have seen John Wall and Brandon Knight leading Kentucky with DeMarcus Cousins and Josh Harrelson battling the Morris twins and Cole Aldrich of Kansas in the paint.  Now that would have given us some excitement to see that interior match-up.  Kansas would likely have the edge there.  The first half would have been a lot of pounding the ball inside to prove who is the dominant force.  I see it as Kansas 36 to Kentucky 28 at halftime.  The second half would have been about the guards and who was willing to put it all on the line to take the game over.  John Wall, Brandon Knight, and Eric Bledsoe would take over the game because Kansas doesn't have the guard depth that Kentucky brings to the floor.  Bledsoe and Knight shoot back to back three pointers to put Kansas away, while John Wall teaches us all how to "dougie" Peter Yang style on the bench.  The winner is Kentucky 72 to Kansas 66.  The depth Kentucky would have brought to this tournament is a direct reflection of Calipari's recruiting talent.  The only thing that stops his team from being stacked to win it each and every year is the "one and done" philosophy that reins over college basketball.  Lets hope the NBA joins the NFL's mindset soon, we deserve a better champion!