Rosters rounding out

Indiana has a new face in the frontcourt, while St. John's beefed up its backcourt. Plus, a look at December's Baylor-Duke matchup, and more

Author

Riley Davis
May 15, 2023

Dominoes keep falling as rosters start to finalize. The portal has closed for undergrads. Uncommitted names are slowly but surely finding homes. And one more highly-touted recruit announced his commitment. Just in time for New Student Orientation!

Let's get to the news.

1. Mgbako heads to Mgbloomington

Life after Trayce Jackson-Davis: The thought alone was enough to cause night sweats for Indiana fans. The big man meant everything to the Hoosiers on both ends of the floor this past season, earning first-team All-American honors and a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team.

But now, almost two months since IU’s season ended, Mike Woodson has acquitted himself quite nicely in re-tooling his frontcourt. First, he landed former top-10 recruit Kel’El Ware to man the 5. Then, he followed that up by reeling in one of the top uncommitted recruits in the class of 2023, Mackenzie Mgbako.

Mgbako, a McDonald’s All-American who de-committed from Duke last month, should slide in as the starting 3 or 4, depending on Malik Reneau’s development. A mid-range maestro with upside as a shooter, Mgbako could form an imposing duo alongside Ware — one that blends size with versatile scoring.

But the key word is “could.”

Ware’s ceiling might be higher than any other player in the Big Ten. However, the 7-footer only scored in double digits three times after December and turned in 10 performances with five or fewer points in that stretch. Meanwhile, Mgbako will likely take some time to adjust, and freshmen often struggle to shoot from deep.

Still, this might be overly pessimistic. Indiana will feature two surefire NBA players in its frontcourt — Michigan State is the only other team in the league that might be able to say that. Sure, there’s some risk involved, but that’s true with almost any roster-building strategy.

And it could pay off with a Big Ten title. Even if Zach Edey returns, the conference feels pretty wide open (insert obligatory Tobin Anderson reference).

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2. Johnnies on the spot

It took a little while for Rick Pitino to preheat the grill, but now he’s cooking.

UMass transfer RJ Luis committed last weekend, giving the Johnnies a high-caliber wing fresh off an A-10 All-Freshman Team appearance. Five days later, Penn transfer Jordan Dingle, the second-leading scorer in college hoops last season, followed suit.

The Ivy League Player of the Year will help revitalize an offense that ranked eighth in the Big East last season. With an extensive scoring repertoire, Dingle can torch defenders in isolation and out of ball screens and dribble-hand-offs.

But one Ivy League assistant highlighted Dingle’s 3-point shooting as a point of emphasis on the scouting report.

“He’s a really high-level shooter. He shoots it off the dribble, but he’s really efficient off the catch as well,” the coach told me.

The stats back up his sentiment. Dingle knocked down 77 trifectas last season, and 24 were unassisted, per Hoop Math. His versatility means defenders can’t just play him tightly.

“If you crowd him too much, he’s got a great handle. He can go by you and finish at the rim,” the Ivy League coach added.

Of course, it’s still unknown exactly how he’ll translate to the Big East. His size (6-3, 195 pounds) and athleticism (31 career dunks) indicate Dingle will hold up against the conference’s physicality. But it would be slightly unfair to expect him to average 20-plus against better competition.

“If I had to guess, he’ll have to adjust some to be a little more well-rounded,” the assistant coach shared. ”I’ll be interested to see if he becomes a more willing passer at that level. Or will scoring be his priority 1, 2 and 3? He’s an NBA prospect, though.”

Other notable commitments

Moussa Cissé (Oklahoma State) to Ole Miss: Why stop at one shot-blocking 7-footer? Chris Beard added Moussa Cissé over the weekend, giving him two of the country’s most fearsome rim protectors (Jamarion Sharp, formerly of Western Kentucky, is the other.) Cissé also logged career highs in minutes played and rebounds per game last season.

Andrew Taylor (Marshall) to Mississippi State: It seems Chris Jans grew tired of his team struggling to crack 60 points. Andrew Taylor will deliver the remedy. The 6-3 guard provides an immediate upgrade over incumbents Dashawn Davis and Shakeel Moore, but he fits seamlessly next to either. His balanced point guard play will buoy the Bulldogs’ offense (his deep 3-point range, in particular, should entice Miss State fans). And if he pressures the ball as effectively in the SEC as he did in the Sun Belt? Watch out.

Warren Washington (Arizona State) to Texas Tech: Grant McCasland will call on Warren Washington as his interior enforcer for Year 1 in Lubbock. Last season, the coach had North Texas registering the seventh-best defensive 2-point percentage in the country — Washington could help that trend continue. He’s also an excellent finisher and an underrated passer.

Quick hitters:

3. Garden party

Just a week ago, we profiled the UConn-North Carolina matchup that will happen in Madison Square Garden in early December. Now, it looks like UNC won’t be the only Tobacco Road program to head to New York.

Duke will square off with Baylor in MSG on Dec. 20, marking the first time the two teams have played since the 2010 Elite Eight.

Not exactly breaking news here, but the Blue Devils will almost certainly be a preseason Top 3 team. They’ll be led by sophomore big man Kyle Filipowski… who happens to be from New York. Thus, the game will serve as a bit of a homecoming — FIlipowski’s hometown of Westtown is less than two hours away from NYC.

Meanwhile, Baylor projects more in the 20-25 range and will hope this contest can net them a signature nonconference win. In order to pull off the upset, it will need its new look backcourt to prove it’s up to snuff. Gone are Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer and Keyonte George. In their stead come top-10 recruit Ja’Kobe Walter, VCU transfer Jayden Nunn and redshirt sophomore Langston Love (who was a fringe 5-star recruit once upon a time.)

Scott Drew’s track record speaks for itself. But an early-season matchup certainly favors the experienced Duke squad.

The portal winners

Which teams fared well in the transfer portal (thus far)? The five-man roundtable of Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster, Jeff Borzell (ESPN) and Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish (CBS Sports) have thoughts.

Links as you peruse some Doc Rivers memes.

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