Rebel10 wrote:We need the top 150, maybe top 200 recruits to compete in this league and challenge for championships imo. Anthing beyond that can get you you to the NIT if that is the goal.
Let's look at the roster the last three years.
2016: Moore, Milton, Brown, Foster, Ben, Semi. Only 6 top 250 players. We had a miracle that everyone stayed healthy. Milton, Brown, and Semi were top 100 recruits that allowed us to compete at a really, really high level without the depth. So I guess the lesson here is that if you have higher level recruits, you don't need as much depth...
2017: McMurray, Shake, Douglas, Ethan, Foster, Gu, Whitt. 7 top 250. I'd argue that if this team stays healthy, we might not win conference, but we make the NCAAs. Shake and Whitt, both top 100, made up for the lack of depth of talent. If you add one more top 250 to that mix, that team wins conference and has a chance to do well in the NCAAs.
2018: McMurray, Hunt, Douglas, Foster, Ethan, Whitt. Whitt is the only top 100 left. Mike was an unknown out of high school, but obviously a quality transfer and basically makes up for Douglas. I'll argue that even if this team is 100% healthy all season long, it doesn't compete for the conference championship. It MIGHT be a team in the NCAA bubble conversation, but I'm not convinced of that at all. Add one top 250 to this team and if it stays healthy it still doesn't compete for conference, but at least is in the NCAA as the third best team. If you added two, then I think you are talking.
So, to your point, maybe this: to finish top 3 in the league and compete for an NCAA bid, we need 8 top 250 players. Replace one of those 8 with a top 100 player, I think you are competing for conference. Replace two with a top 100 and I think you have a chance for a deep run in the NCAA.