The 2021-2022 College Basketball season has tipped off and here at JP Sports, we are excited about it! Every year, the college basketball season has no shortage of great surprises, players, and of course, upsets during March Madness! Last year was no exception with Gonzaga unable to get it done in the National Championship, UCLA's unforgettable run to the final four, and Baylor shooting the lights out in the National Championship!
This season, fans will be back in the seats of college basketball arenas across the country at full capacity to enjoy these moments again! With all this being said, here are JP Sports' predictions for the National Champion, the Final Four, and the Wooden Award winner.
(Photo by: Hannah Gibbs/Unsplash)
National Champion: Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Zags have just about everyone from last year's roster returning with the exception of Corey Kispert, Jalen Suggs, and Aaron Cook. Last year, Gonzaga went 31-1, with their only loss coming from No. 3 ranked Baylor in the National Championship game. Their roster stays nearly the same, with some new recruits coming in. Here's a slight overview of the Gonzaga Bulldogs' 2021-2022 roster.
Key Returners:
- Drew Timme - 19.0 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 2.3 Ast in the 2020-2021 Season
- Joel Ayayı - 12.0 PPG, 6.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast in the 2020-2021 Season
The Zags also landed the number one recruit in the 2021 high school class in 7 ft 1 Chet Holmgren. Holmgren plays the center position and has been making an impact so far. Holmgren looks to make an early impact on for Gonzaga Bulldogs and will only get better as the season goes on.
While the 2020-2021 season did not end the way the Zags and many others had expected it to end, expect the Zags to be just as good, if not, much better than they were last season.
Final Four: Gonzaga, UCLA, Villanova, Kansas
Gonzaga
As mentioned before, Gonzaga has a great list of returners coming back from last year's team along with the addition of number 1 ranked recruits, Chet Holmgren. With Drew Timme and most of the starters from last year coming back, you can just about guarantee that Gonzaga will be back in the Final Four of March Madness in 2022.
UCLA
UCLA was a surprise team in the final four last season before being being eliminated on a Jalen Suggs game winner from Gonzaga. They have the tools to make it back again. UCLA is near running it back with notable starters Johnny Juzang, Jaime Jaquez, and Tyger Campbell. UCLA also landed one of the top recruits in the 2021 high school class in Peyton Watson. With this info in mind, it is a safe bet for UCLA to return to the Final Four in 2022.
Villanova
No team coached by Jay Wright should ever been underestimated. With Villanova bringing in a couple of 4-star recruits in Jordan Longino and Nnanna Njoku along with returners Collin Gillespie, Eric Dixon, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels, Villanova is destined to make a run this year. The previous season, the Wildcats went 18-7 and finished in the Sweet Sixteen before being knocked out of the tournament by eventual NCAA Champion Baylor.
Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off of a 21-9 2020-2021 season and lost in the second round of March Madness of that season. This season, the Jayhawks are looking to return to championship form. The Kansas Jayhawks landed a handful of 4-star recruits in Zach Clemence, K.J. Adams, Bobby Pettiford, and Kyle, Cuffe, jr. The Jayhawks also have key returners in Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, and David McCormack. With this being said, expect Kansas to be among the top teams in the 2021-2022 season.
Wooden Award Winner: Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Mentioned a good amount in this article already, the 'Stache is JP Sports' favorite to win the Wooden Award for the 2021-2022 College Basketball season. As mentioned before, Timme averaged 19/7/2.3 last year for the Zags. Timme will once again be a leader for this Gonzaga Bulldogs team and take a step up with his statistics. Drew Timme winning the Wooden Award in 2022 is a safe bet.
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