Top 10 Frontcourts In College Basketball Entering 2014-15 Season

The Memphis Tigers return their two top big men from a season ago in Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols. Although undersized, this frontcourt makes up for it with effort and versatility. Goodwin can guard anywhere on the floor while Nichols is versatile offensively.

Gonzaga's trio of Przemek Karnowski, Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis will determine how far the Zags go this season. Karnowski is one of the best true big men in the country while Wiltjer, a Kentucky transfer, is a true sharpshooter from downtown. Sabonis is an athletic forward who has the total package offensively and is solid on defense.

Louisville's frontcourt starts and stops with Montrezl Harrell. With Chane Behanan kicked off the team last year, Harrell stepped up and played like one of the best big men in the country. Playing alongside Harrell will be youngsters Mangok Mathiang, Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku, both freshmen.

Even with Patric Young now in the NBA, the Florida Gators have a good trio up front. Chris Walker is one of the most talented youngsters in the country, but his off-court issues continue to plague him. Dorian Finney-Smith was excellent last year in a reserve role, but an injury has him limited so far. Former Michigan transfer Jon Horford rounds out this trio and has shown some versatility on offense early on.

The Jayhawks lost Joel Embiid to the NBA, but they replace him with another highly touted freshman in Cliff Alexander. Alexander teams with Perry Ellis to give Kansas a top-notch one-two tandem down low. While Alexander is efficient in the low-post, Ellis is effective in the mid-range game and his length causes problems defensively. Jamari Traylor also showed flashes last year and will look to contribute more this year.

Rick Barnes has coached some talented players before, but this frontcourt could be his best ever. Joining Cameron Ridley and Jonathan Holmes will be a highly-touted freshman in Myles Turner. Ridley is a space eater in the post, and he's efficient down low. Holmes and Turner, however, can stretch the floor and can use their length to be effective defenders. Backing them up will be Connor Lammert and Prince Ibeh.

Even with Aaron Gordon gone to the NBA, the Wildcats have three talented frontcourt players returning in Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Ashley was injured late last season, and when healthy, he was a key cog for Arizona's great regular season. Tarczewski decided to stay another year after showing major improvement last year while Hollis-Jefferson is a do-everything forward who can be a lockdown defender.

Wisconsin's frontcourt was a major reason why they reached the Final Four last year, and it will be a major reason why they can go back again this year. Returning are Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes. Kaminsky is the ultimate mismatch as he is effective both inside and outside. Hayes is a high-energy forward who is an excellent rebounder. Dekker also is versatile, especially on defense where he can matchup with opposing fours.

Duke ranks this high because of only one player -- Jahlil Okafor. The best freshman in the country has already shown what he can do against a quality opponent in Michigan State. The Blue Devils' frontcourt also boasts high-energy forward Amile Jefferson and reserves Marshall Plumlee and Semi Ojeleye.

Kentucky's frontline is easily the best in the country. This corps has the potential to produce at least four lottery picks in the near future. Willie Cauley-Stein returns after an injury ended his season early. Joining him are Dakari Johnson, who stepped up in his absence, and highly-touted freshman Kyle Towns. Also providing depth are Trey Lyles, Marcus Lee and Derek Willis.