By Harvey Hoffman
Former Duke player and current ESPN seer Jay Bilas is paid to have opinions:
12. Penn State Nittany Lions
Lamar Stevens has been a gem for the Nittany Lions program and should have his number retired in Happy Valley. If he stays healthy, Stevens will be the leading career scorer at Penn State, and he has led a resurgence of the program to challenging for the Big Ten title. That does not happen overnight. Stevens stayed to see it through, and he is leading a team that can beat almost anybody. It is a great story.
13. Villanova Wildcats
If we’re drafting a list of the nation’s best point guards, Collin Gillespie has to be on it. If we’re drafting a list of the nation’s best and most complete players, Saddiq Bey has to be on it. If we’re drafting a list of the best offensive teams in the country — from scheme and execution — Villanova has to be on it. If we’re drafting a list of the best defensive teams in the country, well, that is the lone area where Villanova fails to stand out. There is no question that the Wildcats can score enough points to reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. But when not shooting well, or getting manhandled when officials allow that, can Villanova get enough stops to win anyway? So far, it doesn’t seem so.
