One-and-done players have changed the landscape of college basketball. Some coaches avoid recruiting them, while others seem to have a different freshman leave for the NBA draft every year (cough, John Calipari).
If college players were required to stay all four years, here is what the Final Four could look like:
1. Texas » The Longhorns’ biggest problem this season has been at point guard, so imagine if D.J. Augustin was still there. He would make double-double machine Damion James even better. Dexter Pittman, and his new physique, would also prosper from a point guard that could feed the post. And freshman guard Avery Bradley would be a perfect match for Augustin in Texas’ backcourt. Oh, and Kevin Durant would be a senior. Durant could be second in the NBA MVP voting this year, averaging 29.8 points a game for the Thunder. How many points would he average if he were still in college: 35, 40, 45?
2. Memphis » If you were to start an NBA team, doesn’t a backcourt of Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose sound nice? Evans would only be a sophomore and Rose a junior. The Tigers would be limited on their front line, but two big guards that rebound well could help Memphis’ undersized team. Rose won NBA rookie of the year and Evans is the frontrunner this season. It would have been hard for Calipari to leave for Kentucky if this backcourt was intact.
3. UCLA » Like Memphis, the Bruins missed the Big Dance this year. But if UCLA still had Jrue Holiday, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love things would have been much different. As Durant’s sidekick in Oklahoma City, Westbrook is in the top 10 in the NBA in assists this season. Love is averaging a double-double for the Timberwolves. The Westbrook-Love tandem would make the Final Four like they did in 2008.
4. Ohio State » The Buckeyes are a No. 2 seed this year behind do-everything player of the year frontrunner Evan Turner. In the past three years, five Ohio State freshmen opted for the NBA draft: B.J. Mullens, Kosta Koufos, Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook. Those five players have not had the same success in the NBA as fellow one-and-done players, but the Buckeyes would have the deepest front line in college hoops if Oden, Mullens and Koufos all stayed (and were healthy). Ohio State made it to the title game in 2007 with Oden, Conley Jr. and Cook.
Honorable mention » Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Southern California, Kansas St.
