If you’ve ever played NBA 2K, you’ve likely tried to assemble a team of players solely from your favorite college team. For some schools, such an exercise ends up with a super team. For most other teams, it’s impossible to create.
Today, we’re going to rank each school that’s capable of putting together a starting five using NBA players, as well as players expected to be drafted in the upcoming draft.
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29. Washington State: Cedric Coward, Klay Thompson, Jaylen Wells, Mouhamed Gueye, Isaac Jones
Thompson is obviously the headliner in an otherwise dreadful team compared to the rest of the teams who are capable of putting together a starting five.
28. Arkansas: Darius Acuff, Anthony Black, Moses Moody, Bobby Portis, Daniel Gafford
Acuff appears to have the signs of a potential star in the making. Black and Moody are also valuable bench pieces in the pros.
27. Auburn: Isaac Okoro, Jabari Smith Jr, Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome, Walker Kessler
Kessler and Smith are nice NBA players, but Auburn’s team lacks depth, high-end talent and guard play.
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26. Virginia: Ty Jerome, Trey Murphy III, De’Andre Hunter, Ryan Dunn, Jay Huff
The Cavaliers have sent a ton of wings to the NBA, but not many guards or centers. This team would be versatile but would lack scoring punch.
25. Pittsburgh: Bub Carrington, Blake Hinson, Mouhamadou Gueye, Steven Adams
Pitt has produced Carrington, Adams, and not much else. However, they technically still have enough to field a starting five, so they get to be included on this list.
24. Marquette: Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek, Jimmy Butler, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Oso Ighodaro
Marquette’s list of pro players is thin, but they have enough to make a starting five and have Jimmy Butler to provide some star power.
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23. UConn: Stephon Castle, Jordan Hawkins, Liam McNeeley, Andre Drummond, Donovan Clingan
Castle is an emerging star. Clingan, Hawkins and McNeeley are still young and have quite a bit of potential. The Dan Hurley connection to the NBA is starting to grow.
22. Florida: Tre Mann, Walter Clayton Jr, Bradley Beal, Dorian Finney-Smith, Al Horford
Florida has had as much success as anyone in recent years. However, not many of their players have turned into NBA stars. Of the Gators’ potential starting five, only Beal moves the needle much.
21. North Carolina: Coby White, Cole Anthony, Cameron Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Caleb Wilson
The Tar Heels used to put more players in the NBA than anyone. However, this list is yet another indication of just how far things have fallen at North Carolina.
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20. Tennessee: Jaden Springer, Julian Phillips, Dalton Knecht, Tobias Harris, Grant Williams
Despite Tennessee being a legendary program run by a well-known coach, the Volunteers haven’t produced a ton of NBA talent in recent years. Harris and Williams are serviceable bigs, while Knecht is an intriguing young player, but there isn’t much depth here.
19. Iowa: Bennett Stirtz, Payton Sandfort, Kris Murray, Keegan Murray, Luka Garza
Keegan Murray is a solid starter at the NBA level, and Stirtz may develop into an intriguing player. However, the rest of them are rotational players at best.
18. Colorado: Derrick White, K.J. Simpson, Cody Williams, Jabari Walker, Tristan da Silva
White is a household name, but many fans may be unfamiliar with the rest. Colorado has enough players to field an NBA starting five, but just barely.
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17. Maryland: Aaron Wiggins, Kevin Huerter, Derrick Queen, Jalen Smith, Bruno Fernando
Playing Queen at the 3 would be tough sledding for the Terrapins, but a majority of the NBA players from Maryland are centers. Maryland tends to only produce centers and shooters in the NBA.
16. Illinois: Ayo Dosunmu, Keaton Wagler, Kasparas Jakucionis, Terrence Shannon Jr, Will Riley
Illinois features almost entirely guards in the NBA. This team would be fun to watch, but would have no post presence to speak of.
15. Houston: Marcus Sasser, Kingston Flemings, Quentin Grimes, Jarace Walker, Chris Cenac
The Cougars are guard heavy, but are headlined by projected lottery pick Kingston Flemings.
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14. Baylor: Davion Mitchell, Keyonte George, VJ Edgecombe, Royce O’Neale, Yves Missi
The potential of George and Edgecombe could push this group much higher on the list in the coming years.
13. Michigan State: Jase Richardson, Max Christie, Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr, Draymond Green
While fierce defenders and led by a star in JJJ, the Spartan alumni would struggle in the backcourt compared to the rest of the list. Richardson is largely unproven at the NBA level, and only Harris could even be considered to take his place.
12. Florida State: Terance Mann, Devin Vassell, Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Isaac, Patrick Williams
Headlined by Barnes, the FSU alums would be one of the stingiest defensive squads on the list.
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11. Michigan: Jordan Poole, Tim Hardaway Jr, Duncan Robinson, Franz Wagner, Aday Mara
Franz is the undisputed star of this team, which is heavy on scoring and severely lacking on defense. I could have included any of Michigan’s three projected lottery picks this year, but went with Mara since center is a sore spot for the NBA Wolverines.
10. Alabama: Collin Sexton, Labaron Philon, Brandon Miller, Herb Jones, Noah Clowney
Sexton and Philon would make a very dynamic backcourt, but the Tide lack any true big men in the NBA.
9. Villanova: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Saddiq Bey, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart
The Villanova Knicks are in full effect here, as Brunson, Bridges and Hart anchor this squad. Villanova doesn’t send many bigs to the NBA, but its guards and wings can match up with just about anyone.
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8. USC: Isaiah Collier, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Porter Jr, Evan Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu
USC has one of the better front courts on this list and has some solid depth. They won’t wow anyone, but this is a capable group.
7. Texas: Tre Johnson, Kevin Durant, Jaxson Hayes, Myles Turner, Jarrett Allen
Texas has one of the most talented rosters available in our hypothetical world. The problem is they are nearly all bigs. Floor spacing would be a problem.
6. UCLA: Jrue Holiday, Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell, Zach Lavine, Jaime Jaquez Jr.
UCLA has sent a plethora of guards to the NBA in recent years. While we had a few bigs to choose from, none are worthy of starting over the five listed above.
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5. Arizona: Josh Green, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Gordon, Lauri Markkanen, Deandre Ayton
Leaving Brayden Burries off this starting five was tough to do, but I give the edge to Green and Mathurin for now. The Wildcat front court is one of the best you’ll find.
4. Gonzaga: Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard, Rui Hachimura, Domantas Sabonis, Chet Holmgren
Mark Few has created an NBA factory. Not only do the Zags have a solid starting five, but we had to leave players such as Corey Kispert, Brandon Clarke and Julian Strawther off the list.
3. Kansas: Darryn Peterson, Gradey Dick, Andrew Wiggins, Christian Braun, Joel Embiid
We don’t yet know what Darryn Peterson will be in the pros. However, if he is a star, this could be one of the best groups of any team on this list. Embiid is one of the best players in basketball when healthy.
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2. Duke: Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson
The list of Blue Devils in the NBA is comically long. This starting five doesn’t even include Kon Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Johnson and RJ Barrett. From a pure basketball stylistic perspective, this group would be very, very tough to beat.
1. Kentucky: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis
The Wildcats are the winner of this exercise by a sizable margin. Choosing a starting five was nearly impossible, as I had to leave Karl-Anthony Towns, De’Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle, Tyler Herro and others off the list. No other school’s alumni are beating Kentucky’s.
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