Quick college basketball notes before the season starts in early November.
- If you asked me to name three NCAA guards who can really lead a team/control games, I’d immediately say Braden Smith (Purdue), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), and Donovan Dent (UCLA). Expect high-level reads on offense and plenty of steals defensively if you watch them play this season.
- The 2026 NBA Draft will have a crazy amount of talent, and it starts at the top with star freshmen Darryn Peterson (Kansas), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), and Cameron Boozer (Duke). I honestly can’t choose a #1 player at the moment, as all three are truly spectacular prospects.
- It’ll be interesting to see if Texas Tech can be even better than last year (made the Elite Eight). JT Toppin and Christian Anderson return, but Elijah Hawkins & Chance McMillian graduated/Darrion Williams transferred to NC State. New Red Raiders Donovan Atwell (UNC Greensboro), LeJuan Watts (Washington State), Tyeree Bryan (Santa Clara), Luke Bamgboye (VCU), Josiah Moseley (Villanova) Nolan Groves (freshman), and Jaylen Petty (freshman) will need to step up.
