College basketball fans everywhere rejoice! NCAA hoops is back starting tonight. There's a lot of variables that go into creating a championship contender, but one of the most essential is a strong post presence. Which power forwards and centers are primed to dominate? Here are some early guesses
Alan Williams, UCSB
This senior from Santa Barbara is only 6'7", but he plays so much taller. Williams has an absolute nose for the ball, leading Division I in rebounds last season, with 11.5. If Williams was just a ball-hound he'd be valuable enough, but he also added 21.3 points of offensive production, too. He was the only 20/10 guy in the country, and fans can expect similar consistently from him in 2014-15.
Kennedy Meeks, UNC
Meeks wasn't a full blown diaper dandy in his freshman year in Chapel Hill, but he still managed to put up 7.6 points and 6.1 boards a game. Meeks was plagued by weight problems (he was over 300 pounds last year), but he's 50 pounds lighter for his sophomore season. Roy Williams will be looking toward him to deliver increased production for the Tar Heels this year. Whether he delivers on his promise will go a long way to deciding Carolina's postseason fate.
Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona
Sean Miller's Arizona team is the favorite to win the national title in a lot of corners, and the imposing interior defense the 7-foot Tarczewksi provides is a key component of their attack. Opponents shot under 40% from the field against him in '13-14. On other end, he's an efficient shooter in his own right (58%) who averaged 9.9 points a game.
Jahili Okafor, Duke
As an incoming freshman Okafor doesn't have a polished college legacy yet, but that'll soon change. Coach K is absolutely over-the-moon with praise for Okafor. If he lives up to the hype, he may be the best player in the country this season, and the first pick of the NBA draft come June. Okafor and Coach K alreay have some history, too -- Okafor played on the under-19, -17, and -16 Team USA teams in high school.
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