We are officially one whole month until the tip-off of the 2020-2021 College Basketball season, and boy oh boy, the storylines are thick this year. From the NCAA finally taking action in the college basketball corruption scandal to navigating the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, and everything in between. This season promises to be one of the best in recent memories. You have programs like Tennessee and Creighton on the outside looking in as they ger ready to prove they belong. You also have guys like Penny Hardaway and Jerry Stackhouse trying to make a statement this season before people write them off as a coach. Lastly, you have the entire college basketball world looking for closure as they try to make sense of the craziness that transpired in March with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.

Will this be the year that both Tennessee and Creighton make it to the Final Four or, will it be another year of missed opportunities despite having loaded rosters that are primed for a Final Four run. These two programs have never reached a Final Four, but this could be the year of the Volunteers and Blue Jays, and here’s why. Starting with Tennessee, the Volunteers return a pair of all-SEC seniors in John Fulkerson and Yves Pons. Not to mention, the Volunteers also have Santiago Vescovi and a graduate transfer in EJ Anoslke, who comes to Rocky Top from Sacred Heart, where he averaged 11.3 points per game.

Like Tennessee, Creighton comes into the 2020-2021 season with lofty national expectations, looking to make their first-ever Final Four. The Blue Jays are led by two outstanding, all Big-East players in Marcus Zegarowski and Mitch Bullock. Creighton will go as those two players go. Creighton is a program that is primed and ready to take the next step and has been for quite some time. The 2020-2021 season could very well be the year of the Blue Jays.

Next up, can guys like Penny Hardaway and Jerry Stackhouse finally prove they belong in the college basketball coaching world or, will it be another year of missed opportunities and blown chances? Given the current situation our country faces with the pandemic, this is the year that these two coaches take the plunge and finally prove they belong.

For Penny Hardaway and his Memphis Tigers team, now is the time to take the next step as a team and as a Head Coach. The Tigers have the talent this year after two straight seasons of successful recruiting trips. The Memphis faithful are starting to become restless with the product that has been on the hardwood over the last two seasons, but with a successful season in year three under Penny Hardaway, that could all change for the better. Memphis fans aren’t asking for a Final Four right now, just to win the AAC Tournament and make the NCAA Tournament, that’s it. Coach Hardaway is the one former player that all the coaches fear the most. This guy can recruit all, he needs to do is prove that he can coach this season and he’ll be the face of Memphis basketball for the foreseeable future.

Lastly, the entire college basketball world needs closure after last season ended the way it did due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Last season was the first true season where you had at least thirty teams in contention to win the National Championship, which leads to a beautiful transition into the new season. With the Coronavirus going on, who knows what this season will bring, but as far as closure goes, this season will offer just that, no matter who is crowned the national champion in March. This season will be a marathon for all, 353 teams with unique challenges to overcome this season is set up to be the best season of all-time.

With just one month until tip-off of the 2020-2021 season, it’s time to get excited as college basketball is finally back and, that is grounds to celebrate. This season will be one for the record books as each team fights every night for a chance to win the National Championship, so sit back and enjoy the ride. It will be a season of historic proportions.