Bakersdozen said:
Yes, 2 and done would be much better but I think that coaches will begin to realize the challenges in bringing on one-and-dones. Where there any one-and-dones in the final 4?
There was one true freshman starter, period, in the Elite Eight this year and there's only been one full-time freshman starter on the last five national championship teams -- Villanova's Omari Spellman, who was a role player on that team. UConn's Alex Karaban will be the only freshman starter in tonight's game, and he redshirted last year.
Teams using freshmen in high usage roles almost never win championships in college basketball, which has been absolutely dominated in the last decade by junior and senior players. If you go look at the starting lineups of the teams that win titles, they're are literally all veteran teams led in minutes and usage by grown men, not first-year college players.
College basketball is a grown man's game. It's baffling to me why coaches continue to get enamored by true freshman "superstars" that will almost certainly not be around long enough to win anything of note, while competitively mature teams that develop players and attract veteran talent through the portal hoist the trophy every year.
CHAMIONSHIP TEAMSTop seven players in minutes played (starters bolded)
2023 -- UConn (
So./
Fr./
Jr./
Sr./
Jr./Sr./Sr.) or San Diego State (
Sr./
Sr./
Jr./
Sr./Jr./
Sr./Sr.)
2022 -- Kansas (
Sr./
Jr./
So./
Jr./
Sr./Sr./Sr.)
2021 -- Baylor (
Jr./
Sr./
Jr./
Sr./So./ So./Jr./
Jr.)
2020 -- No champion
2019 -- Virginia (
Jr./
Jr./
So./Fr./
Jr./Jr./
Sr.)
2018 -- Villanova (
Jr./
Jr./
Fr./Jr./
Jr./
So./Fr.)
2017 -- North Carolina (
Jr./
Jr./
Sr./Jr./
So./
Sr./Sr.)
