2021 Wrap: Best Defenders, Players, NBA Prospects, By Class, By Position, By Size of Conference

If you click on www.valueaddbasketball.com, you will see the most valuable college basketball players. We rank 4,166 players.

You can sort in a number of ways, and we provide different samples below. Was Abhams or Krutwig the best player from a smaller conference? Who was the best by position, or class, or the best NBA prospect?

An excerpt from below - All season two players outside the big conference made it clear they could dominate any level, Max Abmas (19th best overall) and Cameron Krutwig (22nd overall). If anyone doubted, their runs to take Oral Roberts and Loyola Chicago through wins opening weekend should leave little doubt.

 

Most Valuable Players per Game Played

We start with the one sort you actually cannot do from the www.valueaddbasketball.com, the top 15 Value Add ratings per game played, which is only in the notes session by each player). If a player misses no games, then his per game Value Add is the same as his listed Value Add for the entire season. The top 4 on this list are the same as if you pull up the database.

However, two of the players on this list would rank higher if they had not missed any games. As shown in the top 15 below, Oregon's Chris Duarte would rank 4th instead of 10th and Illinois' Ayo Dosunma would rank 11th instead of 25th. 

The even bigger jumps would be for Michigan's Isaiah Livers (would rank 30th instead of 76th if he had missed no games), Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham (would rank 33rd instead of 52nd) and finally Auburn's Sharife Cooper (would rank 47th instead of 584th). Keep in mind we rank 4,161 D1 college players, so the top 42 players are in the top 1% of all players, and the top 416 players are in the top 10% of all players.

Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
Luka Garza #55	Iowa	11.09	B10	6'11"	Sr	9.86	-1.23	70
Kendric Davis #3	SMU	11.01	Amer	5'11"	Jr	9.19	-1.82	13
Chris Duarte #5	Oregon	9.06	P12	6'6"	Sr	6.58	-2.48	88
McKinley Wright #25	Colorado	9.75	P12	6'0	Sr	7.38	-2.37	52
Drew Timme #2	Gonzaga	9.67	WCC	6' 10"	So	8.3	-1.37	84
Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
Alex Barcello #13	BYU	9.46	WCC	6'2"	Sr	7.43	-2.03	12
Quentin Grimes #24	Houston	9.12	Amer	6' 5"	Jr	6.83	-2.29	91
Miles McBride #4	West Virginia	9.26	B12	6'2"	So	7.31	-1.95	80
Ayo Dosunmu #11	Illinois	8.14	B10	6'5"	Jr	6.54	-1.6	94
Matthew Hurt #21	Duke	8.84	ACC	6'9"	So	8.42	-0.42	55
Davion Mitchell #45	Baylor	8.81	B12	6' 2"	Jr	6.47	-2.34	96
Corey Kispert #24	Gonzaga	8.8	WCC	6' 7"	Sr	7.65	-1.15	95
Jose Alvarado #10	Georgia Tech	8.74	ACC	6'0	Sr	6.35	-2.39	12

Best Defenders (AdjD)

Here are the best defenders based on their individual AdjD (defense efficiency of points taken away per game better than the expectation allowed by a replacement player). www.kenpom.com calculates this figure for an entire team. You will get almost the same result sorting www.valueaddbasketball.com by the AdjD column, but on this list we do include at least three players from each of the five positions, which results in a few minor tweaks for the last few listed.

 

Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
Neemias Queta #23	Utah St.	8.67	MWC	7'0	Jr	4.9	-3.77	73
Osun Osunniyi #21	St. Bonaventure	7.97	A10	6'10"	Jr	4.46	-3.51	9
Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
Jalen Suggs #1	Gonzaga	7.48	WCC	6' 4"	Fr	4.32	-3.16	0
Franz Wagner #21	Michigan	8.51	B10	6'9"	So	5.42	-3.09	97
Myles Johnson #15	Rutgers	6.58	B10	6'11"	Jr	3.55	-3.03	2
Jordan Goodwin #0	Saint Louis	6.07	A10	6'3"	Sr	3.07	-3.00	1
Josiah-Jordan James #5	Tennessee	5.42	SEC	6'6"	So	2.52	-2.90	53
Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
Luis Rodriguez #15	Mississippi	5.15	SEC	6'6"	So	2.38	-2.77	1
Isaiah Miller #1	UNC Greensboro	5.21	SC	6'0	Sr	2.46	-2.75	17
DeJon Jarreau #3	Houston	6.61	Amer	6' 5"	Sr	3.94	-2.67	1
Herbert Jones #1	Alabama	6.16	SEC	6'8"	Sr	3.5	-2.66	87
Jacob Gilyard #0	Richmond	7.13	A10	5'9"	Sr	4.57	-2.56	3
Nah'Shon Hyland #5	VCU	7.14	A10	6'3"	So	4.58	-2.56	91

Best NBA Prospects 

 Because this list draws a lot of interest, we listed the top 25 NBA prospects. You can list all the NBA level prospects at www.valueaddbasketball.com from the whole nation or any conference by sorting by the far right column "NBA," though sometimes the two 100s (Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley) sort by the 10s for some reason.

Jalen Suggs is the third 100 NBA prospect - an error in the data base deleted his 100 so it shows 0 but will be fixed.

 

Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
Cade Cunningham #2	Oklahoma St.	7.23	B12	6'8"	Fr	5.15	-2.08	100
Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
Scottie Barnes #4	Florida St.	5.38	ACC	6'9"	Fr	3.71	-1.67	99
Keon Johnson #45	Tennessee	3.4	SEC	6'5"	Fr	1.72	-1.68	98
Moses Moody #5	Arkansas	7.4	SEC	6'6"	Fr	5.79	-1.61	98
Franz Wagner #21	Michigan	8.51	B10	6'9"	So	5.42	-3.09	97
Kai Jones #22	Texas	4.58	B12	6'11"	So	3.58	-1	97
Ziaire Williams #3	Stanford	1.13	P12	6'8"	Fr	0.06	-1.07	97
Cameron Thomas #24	LSU	8.11	SEC	6'4"	Fr	7.81	-0.3	96
Davion Mitchell #45	Baylor	8.81	B12	6' 2"	Jr	6.47	-2.34	96
James Bouknight #2	Connecticut	4.78	BE	6'5"	So	3.62	-1.16	96
Corey Kispert #24	Gonzaga	8.8	WCC	6' 7"	Sr	7.65	-1.15	95
Jaden Springer #11	Tennessee	5.18	SEC	6'4"	Fr	3.28	-1.9	95
Josh Christopher #13	Arizona St.	2.44	P12	6'5"	Fr	1.64	-0.8	95
Taevion Kinsey #24	Marshall	6.44	CUSA	6'5"	Jr	6.34	-0.1	95
Ayo Dosunmu #11	Illinois	8.14	B10	6'5"	Jr	6.54	-1.6	94
David Duke #3	Providence	6.09	BE	6'5"	Jr	4.1	-1.99	93
Jalen Johnson #0	Mississippi St.	1.35	SEC	6'6"	Sr	1.3	-0.05	93
Ochai Agbaji #30	Kansas	6.27	B12	6'5"	Jr	4.61	-1.66	93
Charles Bassey #23	Western Kentucky	7.91	CUSA	6'11"	Jr	5.7	-2.21	92
Greg Brown #4	Texas	2.7	B12	6'9"	Fr	0.98	-1.72	92
Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
Nah'Shon Hyland #5	VCU	7.14	A10	6'3"	So	4.58	-2.56	91
Quentin Grimes #24	Houston	9.12	Amer	6' 5"	Jr	6.83	-2.29	91
RJ Nembhard #22	TCU	2.54	B12	6'5"	Jr	2.12	-0.42	91

Best Players Outside the Big Conferences

The Value Add Basketball rankings adjust for level of competition faced, so the rating for a player outside the big conferences shows how good he would be if he had to face top competition all year.

All season two players outside the big conference made it clear they could dominate any level, Max Abmas (19th best overall) and Cameron Krutwig (22nd overall). If anyone doubted, their runs to take Oral Roberts and Loyola Chicago through wins opening weekend should leave little doubt.
 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
19	Max Abmas #3	Oral Roberts	8.51	Sum	6'1"	So	8.06	-0.45	11
22	Cameron Krutwig #25	Loyola Chicago	8.37	MVC	6'9"	Sr	5.74	-2.63	10
27	Gaige Prim #44	Missouri St.	8.1	MVC	6'8"	Sr	6.3	-1.8	9
31	Charles Bassey #23	Western Kentucky	7.91	CUSA	6'11"	Jr	5.7	-2.21	92
34	DeVante' Jones #3	Coastal Carolina	7.78	SB	6'1"	Jr	5.81	-1.97	8
38	Tyreke Key #11	Indiana St.	7.56	MVC	6'3"	Sr	6.09	-1.47	7
39	JaQuori McLaughlin #3	UC Santa Barbara	7.5	BW	6'4"	Sr	6.45	-1.05	6
63	Montre' Gipson #1	Tarleton St.	7.06	WAC	5'11"	Jr	6.89	-0.17	3
66	Grayson Murphy #2	Belmont	6.87	OVC	6'2"	Jr	4.48	-2.39	3
73	Collin Welp #40	UC Irvine	6.75	BW	6'9"	Jr	4.77	-1.98	2
78	Baylor Scheierman #3	South Dakota St.	6.7	Sum	6'6"	So	5.61	-1.09	2
85	Tyson Walker #2	Northeastern	6.57	CAA	6'0	So	5.06	-1.51	2
87	Tanner Holden #2	Wright St.	6.55	Horz	6'6"	So	5.79	-0.76	2
93	Taevion Kinsey #24	Marshall	6.44	CUSA	6'5"	Jr	6.34	-0.1	95
102	Isiaih Mosley #1	Missouri St.	6.32	MVC	6'5"	So	4.71	-1.61	1

Power 6 Conferences

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
1	Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
2	Luka Garza #55	Iowa	11.09	B10	6'11"	Sr	9.86	-1.23	70
4	McKinley Wright #25	Colorado	9.75	P12	6'0	Sr	7.38	-2.37	52
6	Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
8	Miles McBride #4	West Virginia	9.26	B12	6'2"	So	7.31	-1.95	80
10	Chris Duarte #5	Oregon	9.06	P12	6'6"	Sr	6.58	-2.48	88
11	Matthew Hurt #21	Duke	8.84	ACC	6'9"	So	8.42	-0.42	55
12	Davion Mitchell #45	Baylor	8.81	B12	6' 2"	Jr	6.47	-2.34	96
14	Jose Alvarado #10	Georgia Tech	8.74	ACC	6'0	Sr	6.35	-2.39	12
15	Trayce Jackson-Davis #23	Indiana	8.72	B10	6'9"	So	6.99	-1.73	60
17	Kofi Cockburn #21	Illinois	8.53	B10	7'0	So	6.56	-1.97	84
18	Franz Wagner #21	Michigan	8.51	B10	6'9"	So	5.42	-3.09	97
20	Jay Huff #30	Virginia	8.41	ACC	7'1"	Sr	5.88	-2.53	11
21	Sam Hauser #10	Virginia	8.39	ACC	6'8"	Sr	7.12	-1.27	74
23	Marcus Carr #5	Minnesota	8.34	B10	6'2"	Jr	6.77	-1.57	64

Truly High Major: These are the top 15 players from the five conferences that have ranked at least above average at www.kenpom.com each of the last three years.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
3	Kendric Davis #3	SMU	11.01	Amer	5'11"	Jr	9.19	-1.82	13
5	Drew Timme #2	Gonzaga	9.67	WCC	6' 10"	So	8.3	-1.37	84
7	Alex Barcello #13	BYU	9.46	WCC	6'2"	Sr	7.43	-2.03	12
9	Quentin Grimes #24	Houston	9.12	Amer	6' 5"	Jr	6.83	-2.29	91
13	Corey Kispert #24	Gonzaga	8.8	WCC	6' 7"	Sr	7.65	-1.15	95
16	Neemias Queta #23	Utah St.	8.67	MWC	7'0	Jr	4.9	-3.77	73
29	Osun Osunniyi #21	St. Bonaventure	7.97	A10	6'10"	Jr	4.46	-3.51	9
30	Joel Ayayi #11	Gonzaga	7.94	WCC	6' 5"	Jr	5.65	-2.29	75
33	Tyson Etienne #1	Wichita St.	7.88	Amer	6'2"	So	6.83	-1.05	8
35	Jordan Schakel #20	San Diego St.	7.78	MWC	6'6"	Sr	6.4	-1.38	7
40	Jalen Suggs #1	Gonzaga	7.48	WCC	6' 4"	Fr	4.32	-3.16	0
43	Grant Sherfield #25	Nevada	7.41	MWC	6'2"	So	6.45	-0.96	6
55	Nah'Shon Hyland #5	VCU	7.14	A10	6'3"	So	4.58	-2.56	91
56	Jacob Gilyard #0	Richmond	7.13	A10	5'9"	Sr	4.57	-2.56	3
59	Jaylen Forbes #25	Tulane	7.09	Amer	6'5"	So	5.94	-1.15	3

Best Freshmen

As noted in our wrap-up of the national championship, once again the bracket worked that bet against freshman point guards. The last freshman guard to finish in the top 3 in www.valueaddbasketball.com was Chris Paul in 2004.

Only one freshman finished in the top 25 (not unusual) but that one was the most valuable player in the country, USC's Evan Mobley. As noted above, Auburn's Sharife Cooper was the 47th most valuable player in the games he played, so there really were 6 freshman in the top 50.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
1	Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
26	Cameron Thomas #24	LSU	8.11	SEC	6'4"	Fr	7.81	-0.3	96
40	Jalen Suggs #1	Gonzaga	7.48	WCC	6' 4"	Fr	4.32	-3.16	100
45	Moses Moody #5	Arkansas	7.4	SEC	6'6"	Fr	5.79	-1.61	98
52	Cade Cunningham #2	Oklahoma St.	7.23	B12	6'8"	Fr	5.15	-2.08	100
75	Hunter Dickinson #1	Michigan	6.72	B10	7'1"	Fr	4.57	-2.15	38
115	Nijel Pack #24	Kansas St.	6.15	B12	6'0	Fr	5.17	-0.98	1
131	Jae'Lyn Withers #24	Louisville	5.94	ACC	6'8"	Fr	4.25	-1.69	1
138	Johni Broome #4	Morehead St.	5.88	OVC	6'10"	Fr	4.26	-1.62	1
173	Isaiah Jackson #23	Kentucky	5.46	SEC	6'10"	Fr	3.13	-2.33	90
177	Bennedict Mathurin #0	Arizona	5.44	P12	6'7"	Fr	4.5	-0.94	49
186	Scottie Barnes #4	Florida St.	5.38	ACC	6'9"	Fr	3.71	-1.67	99
206	Jaden Springer #11	Tennessee	5.18	SEC	6'4"	Fr	3.28	-1.9	95
225	Dawson Garcia #33	Marquette	5.04	BE	6'11"	Fr	4.57	-0.47	60
280	Jalen Wilson #10	Kansas	4.71	B12	6'8"	Fr	3.19	-1.52	78

Best Sophomores

The best thing about freshman is they turn into Sophomores. Value Add calculates players often make by far their biggest improvement between their freshman and sophomore years, and this year was no exception with 7 Sophomores making the top 25. Www.kenpom.com ranked Drew Timme No. 1, but we had senior Garza 1st all year until Evan Mobley caught him in the Sweet 16.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
5	Drew Timme #2	Gonzaga	9.67	WCC	6' 10"	So	8.3	-1.37	84
8	Miles McBride #4	West Virginia	9.26	B12	6'2"	So	7.31	-1.95	80
11	Matthew Hurt #21	Duke	8.84	ACC	6'9"	So	8.42	-0.42	55
15	Trayce Jackson-Davis #23	Indiana	8.72	B10	6'9"	So	6.99	-1.73	60
17	Kofi Cockburn #21	Illinois	8.53	B10	7'0	So	6.56	-1.97	84
18	Franz Wagner #21	Michigan	8.51	B10	6'9"	So	5.42	-3.09	97
19	Max Abmas #3	Oral Roberts	8.51	Sum	6'1"	So	8.06	-0.45	11
32	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl #24	Villanova	7.89	BE	6'9"	So	6.12	-1.77	81
33	Tyson Etienne #1	Wichita St.	7.88	Amer	6'2"	So	6.83	-1.05	8
37	Justin Champagnie #11	Pittsburgh	7.65	ACC	6'6"	So	5.9	-1.75	13
42	Jaime Jaquez #4	UCLA	7.42	P12	6' 6"	So	5.34	-2.08	50
43	Grant Sherfield #25	Nevada	7.41	MWC	6'2"	So	6.45	-0.96	6
47	Tre Mann #1	Florida	7.37	SEC	6'5"	So	5.21	-2.16	89
49	EJ Liddell #32	Ohio St.	7.3	B10	6'7"	So	6.13	-1.17	26

Best Juniors

As pointed out above, the best bracket we had picked Baylor to go.all the way due to incredibly experienced and awesome guards. When two of the top 12 players in America are your back court, you are loaded for a run. The fact that your third best guard is the 15th best senior (next list) tells you all you need to know about Baylor's dominance last night. Our bracket based on experienced guards sinister 31,000th of 17,200,000 brackets, meaning it beat 555 brackets for every one bracket it lost to.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
3	Kendric Davis #3	SMU	11.01	Amer	5'11"	Jr	9.19	-1.82	13
6	Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
9	Quentin Grimes #24	Houston	9.12	Amer	6' 5"	Jr	6.83	-2.29	91
12	Davion Mitchell #45	Baylor	8.81	B12	6' 2"	Jr	6.47	-2.34	96
16	Neemias Queta #23	Utah St.	8.67	MWC	7'0	Jr	4.9	-3.77	73
23	Marcus Carr #5	Minnesota	8.34	B10	6'2"	Jr	6.77	-1.57	64
25	Ayo Dosunmu #11	Illinois	8.14	B10	6'5"	Jr	6.54	-1.6	94
29	Osun Osunniyi #21	St. Bonaventure	7.97	A10	6'10"	Jr	4.46	-3.51	9
30	Joel Ayayi #11	Gonzaga	7.94	WCC	6' 5"	Jr	5.65	-2.29	75
31	Charles Bassey #23	Western Kentucky	7.91	CUSA	6'11"	Jr	5.7	-2.21	92
34	DeVante' Jones #3	Coastal Carolina	7.78	SB	6'1"	Jr	5.81	-1.97	8
48	Keve Aluma #22	Virginia Tech	7.34	ACC	6'9"	Jr	5.56	-1.78	5
50	Eric Ayala #5	Maryland	7.28	B10	6'5"	Jr	5.46	-1.82	4
54	Marcus Zegarowski #11	Creighton	7.14	BE	6'2"	Jr	5.57	-1.57	54

Best Seniors

Seniors make the best players, but they often do not.make the NBA if they weren't good enough to leave early. However, this year Duarte, Kispert and Hauser all look like players who will see an NBA court.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
2	Luka Garza #55	Iowa	11.09	B10	6'11"	Sr	9.86	-1.23	70
4	McKinley Wright #25	Colorado	9.75	P12	6'0	Sr	7.38	-2.37	52
7	Alex Barcello #13	BYU	9.46	WCC	6'2"	Sr	7.43	-2.03	12
10	Chris Duarte #5	Oregon	9.06	P12	6'6"	Sr	6.58	-2.48	88
13	Corey Kispert #24	Gonzaga	8.8	WCC	6' 7"	Sr	7.65	-1.15	95
14	Jose Alvarado #10	Georgia Tech	8.74	ACC	6'0	Sr	6.35	-2.39	12
20	Jay Huff #30	Virginia	8.41	ACC	7'1"	Sr	5.88	-2.53	11
21	Sam Hauser #10	Virginia	8.39	ACC	6'8"	Sr	7.12	-1.27	74
22	Cameron Krutwig #25	Loyola Chicago	8.37	MVC	6'9"	Sr	5.74	-2.63	10
24	Moses Wright #5	Georgia Tech	8.29	ACC	6'9"	Sr	6.59	-1.7	10
27	Gaige Prim #44	Missouri St.	8.1	MVC	6'8"	Sr	6.3	-1.8	9
28	Oscar da Silva #13	Stanford	8.02	P12	6'9"	Sr	6.76	-1.26	58
35	Jordan Schakel #20	San Diego St.	7.78	MWC	6'6"	Sr	6.4	-1.38	7
36	MaCio Teague #31	Baylor	7.78	B12	6' 4"	Sr	6.67	-1.11	67

Best Point Guards

No substitute for a great point guard to run the show.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
3	Kendric Davis #3	SMU	11.01	Amer	5'11"	Jr	9.19	-1.82	13
4	McKinley Wright #25	Colorado	9.75	P12	6'0	Sr	7.38	-2.37	52
8	Miles McBride #4	West Virginia	9.26	B12	6'2"	So	7.31	-1.95	80
12	Davion Mitchell #45	Baylor	8.81	B12	6' 2"	Jr	6.47	-2.34	96
23	Marcus Carr #5	Minnesota	8.34	B10	6'2"	Jr	6.77	-1.57	64
40	Jalen Suggs #1	Gonzaga	7.48	WCC	6' 4"	Fr	4.32	-3.16	100
43	Grant Sherfield #25	Nevada	7.41	MWC	6'2"	So	6.45	-0.96	6
46	Austin Reaves #12	Oklahoma	7.38	B12	6'5"	Sr	6	-1.38	5
47	Tre Mann #1	Florida	7.37	SEC	6'5"	So	5.21	-2.16	89
50	Eric Ayala #5	Maryland	7.28	B10	6'5"	Jr	5.46	-1.82	4
51	Tahj Eaddy #2	USC	7.28	P12	6'2"	Sr	5.69	-1.59	4
54	Marcus Zegarowski #11	Creighton	7.14	BE	6'2"	Jr	5.57	-1.57	54
56	Jacob Gilyard #0	Richmond	7.13	A10	5'9"	Sr	4.57	-2.56	3
61	Carlik Jones #1	Louisville	7.07	ACC	6'1"	Sr	5.06	-2.01	3
69	Marreon Jackson #3	Toledo	6.84	MAC	6'1"	Sr	4.9	-1.94	3

Best Shooting Guards

Abmas looked like a point guard a good bit, but as a big shooter he calculates as the shooting giard.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
6	Jared Butler #12	Baylor	9.49	B12	6' 3"	Jr	6.62	-2.87	91
7	Alex Barcello #13	BYU	9.46	WCC	6'2"	Sr	7.43	-2.03	12
10	Chris Duarte #5	Oregon	9.06	P12	6'6"	Sr	6.58	-2.48	88
14	Jose Alvarado #10	Georgia Tech	8.74	ACC	6'0	Sr	6.35	-2.39	12
19	Max Abmas #3	Oral Roberts	8.51	Sum	6'1"	So	8.06	-0.45	11
26	Cameron Thomas #24	LSU	8.11	SEC	6'4"	Fr	7.81	-0.3	96
33	Tyson Etienne #1	Wichita St.	7.88	Amer	6'2"	So	6.83	-1.05	8
38	Tyreke Key #11	Indiana St.	7.56	MVC	6'3"	Sr	6.09	-1.47	7
44	Dru Smith #12	Missouri	7.4	SEC	6'3"	Sr	5.21	-2.19	17
55	Nah'Shon Hyland #5	VCU	7.14	A10	6'3"	So	4.58	-2.56	91
63	Montre' Gipson #1	Tarleton St.	7.06	WAC	5'11"	Jr	6.89	-0.17	3
66	Grayson Murphy #2	Belmont	6.87	OVC	6'2"	Jr	4.48	-2.39	3
96	Isaiah Wong #2	Miami FL	6.36	ACC	6'3"	So	5.51	-0.85	52
97	Jaden Shackelford #5	Alabama	6.36	SEC	6'3"	So	4.76	-1.6	26
104	Ochai Agbaji #30	Kansas	6.27	B12	6'5"	Jr	4.61	-1.66	93
105	Jalen Crutcher #10	Dayton	6.23	A10	6'1"	Sr	5.6	-0.63	1

Best Small Forwards (often really a third guard.

While many teams announce three or even four starting point guards, the player who appears to play the third farthest from the basket is labeled the small forward or "3." Houston's Quentin Grimes was by far the best this year.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
9	Quentin Grimes #24	Houston	9.12	Amer	6' 5"	Jr	6.83	-2.29	91
30	Joel Ayayi #11	Gonzaga	7.94	WCC	6' 5"	Jr	5.65	-2.29	75
34	DeVante' Jones #3	Coastal Carolina	7.78	SB	6'1"	Jr	5.81	-1.97	8
35	Jordan Schakel #20	San Diego St.	7.78	MWC	6'6"	Sr	6.4	-1.38	7
36	MaCio Teague #31	Baylor	7.78	B12	6' 4"	Sr	6.67	-1.11	67
39	JaQuori McLaughlin #3	UC Santa Barbara	7.5	BW	6'4"	Sr	6.45	-1.05	6
42	Jaime Jaquez #4	UCLA	7.42	P12	6' 6"	So	5.34	-2.08	50
45	Moses Moody #5	Arkansas	7.4	SEC	6'6"	Fr	5.79	-1.61	98
59	Jaylen Forbes #25	Tulane	7.09	Amer	6'5"	So	5.94	-1.15	3
65	Jared Rhoden #14	Seton Hall	6.93	BE	6'6"	Jr	5.08	-1.85	3
76	Isaiah Livers #2	Michigan	6.71	B10	6'7"	Sr	4.61	-2.1	82
77	Aaron Wiggins #2	Maryland	6.7	B10	6'6"	Jr	4.56	-2.14	73
78	Baylor Scheierman #3	South Dakota St.	6.7	Sum	6'6"	So	5.61	-1.09	2
81	Timmy Allen #1	Utah	6.63	P12	6'6"	Jr	4.66	-1.97	56
87	Tanner Holden #2	Wright St.	6.55	Horz	6'6"	So	5.79	-0.76	2

Best Power Forwards

Mobley did seem to be a 7-foot power forward at least some of the time.to not get banged around as a lighter player., playing their in the zone and taking some outside jumpers. Ayo certainly does not seem to be a power forward but because he was near the basket a lot due to.driving and grabbing rebounds thats how he calculated.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
1	Evan Mobley #4	USC	11.16	P12	7'0	Fr	7.72	-3.44	100
11	Matthew Hurt #21	Duke	8.84	ACC	6'9"	So	8.42	-0.42	55
13	Corey Kispert #24	Gonzaga	8.8	WCC	6' 7"	Sr	7.65	-1.15	95
18	Franz Wagner #21	Michigan	8.51	B10	6'9"	So	5.42	-3.09	97
21	Sam Hauser #10	Virginia	8.39	ACC	6'8"	Sr	7.12	-1.27	74
25	Ayo Dosunmu #11	Illinois	8.14	B10	6'5"	Jr	6.54	-1.6	94
37	Justin Champagnie #11	Pittsburgh	7.65	ACC	6'6"	So	5.9	-1.75	13
49	EJ Liddell #32	Ohio St.	7.3	B10	6'7"	So	6.13	-1.17	26
52	Cade Cunningham #2	Oklahoma St.	7.23	B12	6'8"	Fr	5.15	-2.08	100
53	Emanuel Miller #5	Texas A&M	7.17	SEC	6'7"	So	6.42	-0.75	3
62	Eugene Omoruyi #2	Oregon	7.07	P12	6'6"	Sr	5.96	-1.11	47
64	Jermaine Samuels #23	Villanova	7.02	BE	6'7"	Sr	5.99	-1.03	3
67	David Roddy #21	Colorado St.	6.84	MWC	44352	So	5.17	-1.67	3
68	LJ Figueroa #12	Oregon	6.84	P12	6'6"	Sr	5.39	-1.45	3
70	Julian Champagnie #2	St. John's	6.82	BE	6'8"	So	5.52	-1.3	25

Best Centers

Still some legit around the basket players on this list.

 

Rnk	Player	Team	VA5	Conf	Ht	Class	AdjO	AdjD	NBA
2	Luka Garza #55	Iowa	11.09	B10	6'11"	Sr	9.86	-1.23	70
5	Drew Timme #2	Gonzaga	9.67	WCC	6' 10"	So	8.3	-1.37	84
15	Trayce Jackson-Davis #23	Indiana	8.72	B10	6'9"	So	6.99	-1.73	60
16	Neemias Queta #23	Utah St.	8.67	MWC	7'0	Jr	4.9	-3.77	73
17	Kofi Cockburn #21	Illinois	8.53	B10	7'0	So	6.56	-1.97	84
20	Jay Huff #30	Virginia	8.41	ACC	7'1"	Sr	5.88	-2.53	11
22	Cameron Krutwig #25	Loyola Chicago	8.37	MVC	6'9"	Sr	5.74	-2.63	10
24	Moses Wright #5	Georgia Tech	8.29	ACC	6'9"	Sr	6.59	-1.7	10
27	Gaige Prim #44	Missouri St.	8.1	MVC	6'8"	Sr	6.3	-1.8	9
28	Oscar da Silva #13	Stanford	8.02	P12	6'9"	Sr	6.76	-1.26	58
29	Osun Osunniyi #21	St. Bonaventure	7.97	A10	6'10"	Jr	4.46	-3.51	9
31	Charles Bassey #23	Western Kentucky	7.91	CUSA	6'11"	Jr	5.7	-2.21	92
32	Jeremiah Robinson-Earl #24	Villanova	7.89	BE	6'9"	So	6.12	-1.77	81
41	Aamir Simms #25	Clemson	7.42	ACC	6'8"	Sr	5.86	-1.56	51
48	Keve Aluma #22	Virginia Tech	7.34	ACC	6'9"	Jr	5.56	-1.78	5

Final College Hoops Piece of the Season - Deja Vu

 For our final college basketball season please click on the story pictured below. As I note in the piece, if you watched the game last night you had a chance to see the last freshman guard to finish as one of the best three players in college basketball at Value Add Basketball. It was during a State Farm Commercial - Chris Paul. As usual, great experienced guards shut down a great freshman guard for the title.

Baseball Resumes, Darvish Dominates

We did not play any Statis-Pro Baseball games during March Madness, skipping even opening day. However, on the off day between the semifinals and title game, we played our first game in a month. Our Statis-Pro Standings are at the bottom of the blog.

The Padres showed just how dominant they may be this year 

Darvish threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to kick off the twin bill. The first 3 hitters in the Padres order - Tatis, Pham and Machado - went 11 of 25 with 4 Homer's and 3 doubles.

However, Rojas salvaged a 2 games to 4 series loss with a clutch defense double play and a clutch batting 3-run home run to chase Snell in the nightcap.

League rules and standings:

Our Statis-Pro season utilizes these projected batter cards and these pitcher cards. Both the MLB/AL Commissioner based in Montana and NL Commissioner based in Alabama printed out these cards, which you can use for your own Statis-Pro games, and we keep up with roster updates to move cards between teams. 

The NL plays straight up 1-game series,, and in the AL each series is 2 games but counts as a 6-game series. A team gets credit for a 3-game sweep if they win after leading by a taxpayer least 5-runs after 8 innings without using their top reliever available - otherwise each game counts as 2 wins for the winner and 1 win for the loser.

The 11th through 15th place teams will be dropped late in the season. 

At the end of the season the 3rd through 6th place teams play a 5-game series, with winners playing the 1st and 2nd place teams.

300,000 Visits Before Classic Gonzaga Win

Fittingly hours before Jalen Suggs won one of the greatest college games in history, www.pudnersports.com topped 300,000 visits. This would calculate in the millions if using the same analytics used by non-blogger sites (see explanation). On this site,

78% of visitors go directly to www.pudnersports.com where they can scroll through the last several stories. 

12% click directly on the instructions and playing cards for the Value Add Basketball Game.

10% click directly on some other link.

This was accomplished despite the fact that we have not spent a dime to boost or advertise the site this year since someone set up a scam on my Facebook boost at Value Add Sports last year.

Also yesterday, thousands opened an email we send to sports contacts including primarily sports writers, but also athletic departments and then several hundred contacts I've added. 

Thanks all for visiting the site, and the email sent yesterday featured a photo of Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs hours before he banked in the historic game-winner. Here is the preview pictured below, followed by the email:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Pudner, Value Add Basketball
Date: Sat, Apr 3, 2021, 4:21 PM
Subject: Final 4 Tip-off in Hour on CBS - Analytical Preview of the Teams, Players, NBA Prospects
To: John R Pudner Pudner <pudnerjohn@gmail.com>

Click on the photo below for this preview of the Final 4, which tips off on your local CBS station in an hour. Two of our most accurate Value Add Basketball brackets picked Gonzaga to defeat Houston in Monday's championship after both win tonight. However, our other top bracket, which emphasizes senior guards, picked Baylor to upset Gonzaga in the title game after both win tonight.

While most hope and expect a great showdown between Houston and Baylor in the first game, Gonzaga is not only a 14-point favorite against UCLA in the nightcap, but has the top two NBA prospects playing tonight (see photo below) and ranks at www.kenpom.com as the greatest team of the Century as they try to have the first perfect season since Bobby Knight's 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. While we noted before the tournament Gonzaga ranked 10 points better than any other team in Value Add, and we expect them to win, those who pull for underdogs can take a ray of hope from the following; everyone has been underestimating the the Pac-12 in both the men's and women's tournament. Last night's women's semifinals resulted in an all-Pac 12 women's title game when Arizona stunned the UConn women, who like Gonzaga today were also 14-point favorites. Also, the 2nd best team this Century based on www.kenpom.com is the 2015 Kentucky team, which was undefeated until the national semifinal, when they were upset by Wisconsin. If UCLA repeats that feat, then they would give the Pac-12 the all-time record with 14 wins in one men's tournament.

Click on the photo below for our preview and turn on CBS in the next hour, and we include 247 player links for all players expected to play at least 10 minutes in either game tonight, as well as the top two players in the country not playing tonight,  Evan Mobley and Luka Garza. - John Pudner 404.606.3163

Ranking the best scorers, defenders and NBA prospects in the Final 4

The following breaks down the 29 players expected to play at least 10 minutes tonight in Final Four games and note if each player ranks on the top 5 of a key www.kenpom.com category or in the top 10 of one of the following rankings at www.valueaddbasketball.com:

1. Most likely success in the NBA (Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert, Davion Mitchell)
2. Best defenders (Jalen Suggs, DeJon Jarreau, Jared Butler)
3. Highest overall Value above Replacement or Value Add (Drew Timme, Quentin Grimes, Corey Kispert).

For those of you who like tables, you can click here to see the Value Add brackets that rank in the 100th to 98th percentile of more than 17 million brackets submitted. The strongest bracket so far is the one based on the Value Add Rankings of the players on each team PLUS the deepest run of the coach in a past tournament (good news for Marquette with Shaka Smart for next year).

In addition to this list, you can find the most valuable 100 players in the country in this story, or look up any of the 4000+ players at www.valueaddbasketball.com. This story details how USC’s defense led by Evan Mobley helped him edge out Luka Garza as the most valuable overall player.

4 p.m. CT - Baylor vs. Houston – Players Expected to Play 10+ Minutes 

Baylor

MaCio Teague #31 Baylor 6’4" SF; 36 likely minutes played today. 10th best NBA prospect (61%), 9th most valuable player (7.43 pts > replacement), best at protecting ball (10% turnovers), 4th best free throw shooter (86%), best at avoiding fouls (1%).

Jared Butler #12 Baylor 6’3" SG; 34 likely minutes played today. 5th best NBA prospect (89%), 4th most valuable player (8.73 pts > replacement), 3rd best passer (assists on 28% of baskets), 3rd best defender (erases 2.66 pts/game), 2nd best at steals (4%).

Davion Mitchell #45 Baylor 6’2" PG; 32 likely minutes played today. 3rd best NBA prospect (96%), 5th most valuable player (8.37 pts > replacement), 4th best passer (assists on 27% of baskets), 3rd best 3-pt shooter (45%), 7th best defender (erases 2.12 pts/game), 5th best at steals (3.4%).

Adam Flagler #10 Baylor 6’3" SG; 25 likely minutes played today. off rating 128 (5th), 4th best 3-pt shooter (42%), 4th best free throw shooter (86%).

Mark Vital #11 Baylor 6’5" PF; 21 likely minutes played today. 2nd best offensive rebounder (14% of misses), 8th best defender (erases 1.81 pts/game), 2nd best defensive rebounder (20%), 5th best at blocks (4% of shots).

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua #23 Baylor 6’8" C; 20 likely minutes played today. 5th best offensive rebounder (12% of misses), 4th best defensive rebounder (19%), 5th best at blocks (4% of shots).

Matthew Mayer #24 Baylor 6’9" PF; 17 likely minutes played today. best defensive rebounder (22%), best at steals (5%).

Flo Thamba #0 Baylor 6’10" C; 16 likely minutes played today. 3rd best offensive rebounder (13% of misses), 4th best at blocks (5% of shots).

Houston

Marcus Sasser #0 Houston 6’1" PG; 37 likely minutes played today. 3rd best at protecting ball (11% turnovers), 3rd best free throw shooter (88%), 10th best defender (erases 1.69 pts/game).

DeJon Jarreau #3 Houston 6’5" PG; 36 likely minutes played today. 10th most valuable player (7.19 pts > replacement), best passer (assists on 30% of baskets), 2nd best defender (erases2.86 pts/game).

Quentin Grimes #24 Houston 6’5" SF; 34 likely minutes played today. 6th best NBA prospect (88%), 2nd most valuable player (9.68 pts > replacement), 5th best 3-pt shooter (41%), 2nd best at drawing fouls (4%), 5th best defender (erases 2.38 pts/game).

Justin Gorham #4 Houston 6’7" PF; 32 likely minutes played today. off rating 130 (2nd), 3rd best at protecting ball (11% turnovers), best offensive rebounder (16% of misses), 4th best defensive rebounder (19%).

Fabian White #35 Houston 6’8"; 19 likely minutes played today. best at protecting ball (10% turnovers), 3rd best offensive rebounder (13% of misses), 2nd best at blocks (7% of shots).

Reggie Chaney #32 Houston 6’8" PF; 15 likely minutes played today. 2nd best shooter (65 eFG%), 4th best 2-pt shooter (65%), 5th best offensive rebounder (12% of misses), 3rd best at blocks (6% of shots).

Tramon Mark #12 Houston 6’5" SG; 14 likely minutes played today. 2nd best at drawing fouls (5%).

Brison Gresham #55 Houston 6’8" C; 14 likely minutes played today. by far best at blocks (11% of shots).

7:30 CT - Gonzaga vs. UCLA – Players Expected to Play 10+ Minutes

 

UCLA

Jaime Jaquez #4 UCLA 6’ 6" SF; 39 likely minutes played today. 8th most valuable player (7.46 pts > replacement), 6th best defender (erases 2.16 pts/game).

Jules Bernard #1 UCLA 6’ 6" PF; 39 likely minutes played today.

Johnny Juzang #3 UCLA 6’ 6" SG; 32 likely minutes played today. best free throw shooter (90%), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%).

Tyger Campbell #10 UCLA 5'11" PG; 30 likely minutes played today. best passer (assists on 30% of baskets), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%).

Cody Riley #2 UCLA 6’9" C; 20 likely minutes played today. 2nd best at drawing fouls (5%), 2nd best defensive rebounder (20%), 5th best at blocks (4% of shots).

David Singleton #34 UCLA 6’4" PG; 12 likely minutes played today. 3rd best at protecting ball (11% turnovers), best 3-pt shooter (47%), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%).

Kenneth Nwuba #14 UCLA 6’9" C; 12 likely minutes played today. 5th best at blocks (4% of shots).

 

Gonzaga

Andrew Nembhard #3 Gonzaga 6’5" SG; 36 likely minutes played today. 9th best NBA prospect (66%), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%).

Corey Kispert #24 Gonzaga 6’7" PF; 36 likely minutes played today. 2nd best NBA prospect (98%), 3rd most valuable player (9.16 pts > replacement), off rating 133 (1st), 2nd best shooter (65 eFG%), 3rd best at protecting ball (11% turnovers), 2nd best 3-pt shooter (45%), 5th best 2-pt shooter (62%), 2nd best free throw shooter (89%), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%).

Jalen Suggs #1 Gonzaga 6’4" PG; 35 likely minutes played today. best NBA prospect (99%), 6th most valuable player (8.04 pts > replacement), 5th best passer (assists on 24% of baskets), 2nd best at drawing fouls (5%), best defender (erases 3.32 pts/game), 4th best defensive rebounder (19%), 2nd best at steals (4%).

Joel Ayayi #11 Gonzaga 6’5" SF; 32 likely minutes played today. 4th best NBA prospect (92%), 7th most valuable player (8.02 pts > replacement), off rating 129 (4th), 5th best shooter (64 eFG%), 2nd best 2-pt shooter (68%), 4th best defender (erases 2.47 pts/game), 2nd best at avoiding fouls (2%), 4th best defensive rebounder (19%).

Drew Timme #2 Gonzaga 6’10" C; 29 likely minutes played today. 6th best NBA prospect (88%), most valuable player (9.96 pts > replacement), off rating 130 (2nd), best shooter (65.9 eFG%), 3rd best 2-pt shooter (67%), best at drawing fouls (6%), 4th best defensive rebounder (19%).

Anton Watson #22 Gonzaga 6’8" PF; 17 likely minutes played today. 8th best NBA prospect (77%), 2nd best shooter (65 eFG%), best 2-pt shooter (72%), 9th best defender (erases 1.73 pts/game).

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