Preseason Top-25
The top 25 is the official stamp of excellence in college sports, and in college basketball, it proves who is a quad 1 team and who the best of the best is in this sport. In reality, preseason top 25s mean nothing, but they help us, the fans, analysts, and other people involved in the sport, gauge who is good and what to expect from certain teams and conferences. Plus, making top 25s is fun, so let's have some fun with my preseason top 25. For context, whenever I make my preseason top 25s, I rank every team with the intention of projecting who will be the 25 best teams throughout the entire season. So naturally, there will be some projecting throughout these rankings while also judging these teams based on their depth, talent, roster continuity, coaching, roster fit, scheme versatility, and ability to execute on both ends of the floor. When constructing this top 25 list, I repeatedly said to myself, “Wow, this is going to be a great year” because there are so many good teams with good chances to win a national title or their respective conferences. The talent across the country is also so high from a college and NBA draft perspective. But let me not waste any time with this introduction so you can read my official preseason top 25 (honestly, a better one than the AP poll) and get excited about this upcoming college basketball season.
1. Alabama
The Crimson Tide are entering this season coming off a Final 4 appearance and a terrific offseason where their best player returned for his 5th year; they brought in a top 5 recruiting class and made tons of splashes in the transfer portal. This team is loaded and deserving of being called the best team in college basketball right now because they have a star leading their team and some excellent depth across the roster. The Tide has 11 great players who could be in the rotation this year and might be a team that has a 10-man rotation because of the talent and style of play. The player who deserves to be mentioned first is Mark Sears, who will be a first-team All-American when the season ends and possibly the National Player of the Year. A season ago, Mark averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on shooting splits of 50.8/43.6/85.7. Mark is one of the best guards in the country because of his shotmaking off the dribble, terrific shooting off the catch, ability to play with and without the ball, and underrated downhill scoring skills. Another big returner for Alabama this offseason was Grant Nelson, who proved to be a solid play-finisher, rim protector, and solid, versatile piece at the forward spot. Continuing to grow as a 3-point shooter will be big because he shot 27.3%, which would help improve what was already a good offense. Some new pieces who could help maintain their 126.0 adjusted offensive rating from last season are Chris Youngblood, Houston Mallette, and Aden Holloway. Youngblood is the bigger name of the trio because he is coming off a season where he won the American Conference Player of the Year and shot 41.6% from 3. A backcourt between him and Sears will be deadly because both are capable of playing with or without the ball and are terrific shot-makers off the bounce. They also both shot above 40% from 3 last season. Chris is dealing with some injuries right now, but a healthy backcourt between him and Sears could be one of the best in the country. Alabama also added Houston Mallette from the transfer portal, who is a 6’5 guard who shot above 40% from 3 last season and has real potential to be a 6th man of the year candidate in the SEC and nationally. Defense was Alabama's big issue last season because they struggled to defend the ball, slow down opponents' best offensive option, and limit opponents chances at the free-throw line. Alabama ranked 111th in the country in adjusted defensive rating (103.0) and 357th in opponent points scored (81.2). 2 players who could really help improve those defensive stats are newcomers Derrion Reid and Clifford Omoruyi. Clifford was the Tide's big target of the offseason because he is a tremendous rim protector who provides a ton of size and length. For the past 2 seasons, Omoruyi has been the starting center of a team that has ranked top-10 in adjusted defensive rating, ranked top 2 in the Big-10 in blocks per game, and last season he was 3rd in the country in blocks per game with 2.9. His presence and skills around the basket defensively will help clean mistakes on the perimeter more frequently, lessen the shot attempts at the rim, strengthen their ball screen defense, and provide some needed size on the court. Cliff has the experience and skills to lift this team's defensive floor by a large margin. Derrion Reid also has some tools and potential to help improve this team's defense by being a switchable wing across the perimeter. Derrion is a 6’8 McDonald's All-American incoming freshman whose role looks murky with this roster, but his tools and potential defensively could make him play a lot of minutes early. The big X-factor that makes this team even better and more appealing on paper is returning sophomore Jarin Stevenson. Last season, Jarin averaged 5.3 points while being a reclass freshman, so more experience should help him potentially grow into this skilled and versatile Swiss army knife forward on both ends. Alabama will likely be the best offensive team in the country because of the incredible amount of positive 3-point shooters and outstanding guard play on their roster. Defensively, this team made some great roster additions to improve on the weaknesses from last season. Alabama will be a juggernaut all season long, and not many teams in the country have the talent to match them.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Mark Sears
G- Chris Youngblood
F- Latrell Wrightsell
F- Grant Nelson
C- Clifford Omoruyi
2. Duke
The Blue Devils will be the talk of the town not only in the college basketball world but also in the entire sports world because of one player. That’s the projected number 1 pick reclass freshman Cooper Flagg. He will be the best player in college basketball next season and his unreal two-way talents will be huge in making Duke a team to be reckoned with all season long. His defense will be something to watch all season long because he will give Duke someone who can collect steals defending off the ball, some elite secondary rim protection, and some incredible switchability. He will take this defense to new levels, and last season, Duke ranked 16th in adjusted defensive rating (95.2). Offensively, he will be a wildcard because we dont know how much his shot-creation abilities have developed since high school, but what is not a wildcard is his off-ball and transition scoring capabilities. He will thrive seamlessly on offense with his ability to score on cuts, catch lobs, be a screener, make shots off the catch, and be a bison in transition whenever he grabs a defensive rebound. If he becomes a viable and good shot creator, then Duke’s offense will be close to unguardable, but right now, he will likely be an average shot creator and scorer off the dribble. Duke’s number 1 recruiting class is not ranked first solely because of Cooper, but they are also bringing in 5-star recruits Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. Kon has gained so much steam during this offseason for valid reasons. He was the leading scorer in last year's EYBL and displayed tremendous shooting abilities during his senior year. Kon will be one of the best 3-point shooters in the country this season because he does such a good job making open shots when given the opportunity and is very capable of making 3-pointers off movement. He also has some boiling talents as an on-ball scorer when operating in space or attacking off the catch. Kon has the skills and physical advantages to be this team's leading scorer, and his 3-point shooting off the catch will give them one of the deadliest weapons in the sport next to an incredible slasher in Cooper. Maluach is also another tremendous incoming freshman and likely could be the first international player taken in this upcoming draft. His size, potential as a 3-point shooter, and tremendous rim protection skills all make him someone who could change games for Duke at the center spot. He is still a raw player who needs game time to get better as a player, but he gives Duke some much-needed rim protection and presence around the interior that they lacked last season. The biggest questions many have about Duke are guard play and how their transfers impact this team. Their guard play will be fine to me because Proctor will have more experience and confidence, so I assume consistency will be less of an issue for him this season. Defensively, he will continue to be good and a positive because he has been a solid perimeter defender since entering college. Foster has much to build upon because he only played 27 games last season and averaged 7.7 points. I have confidence that he will become a solid secondary playmaker and double-digit scorer next to Proctor. Onto the transfers, they brought Sion James from Tulane, Mason Gillis from Purdue, and Maliq Brown from Syracuse. Maliq is going to be a tremendous defender for Duke off the bench because last season, he led the ACC in steals and proved to be a super versatile defender at the 5 spot. He will likely be the backup center for them because of his ability to guard 1-5 and generate so many deflections. He gives Duke some incredible lineup flexibility because Duke can run some drop-coverage with Maluach, and elites can switch everything in the lineup with Brown. Sion James was the best transfer addition for Duke during this offseason. He is a chiseled wing with a Swiss army knife skillset with how well he can guard multiple positions, make open jumpers, initiate certain actions, and score off the ball. They also added last season's Big-10 6th Man of the Year winner Mason Gillis. Duke has so much talent on their team that 1 McDonald All-American and another 5-star recruit, Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris, will likely not be in their rotation this year. Duke can undoubtedly win the National title this year, as they have one of the most talented rosters in the country and the best player in the world under 18 years old.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Tyrese Proctor
G- Caleb Foster
F- Kon Knueppel
F- Cooper Flagg
C- Khaman Maluach
3. Iowa State
Last year was not a fluke for the Cyclones as they are returning every key contributor from a team that won the Big 12, made the Sweet Sixteen, and had the best adjusted defensive rating (87.5) in the country. They also added some darlings in the transfer portal who don't have the biggest names but are tremendous role players who were big contributors to their previous teams. The two headlining returners for the Cyclones were Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey. This is the best backcourt in college basketball, and both of these guys give Iowa State incredible advantages on both ends of the floor. Tamin Lipsey has the best shot in the Big 12 to win the Big 12 Player of the Year and be a member of the All-American team. Last season, his averages were tremendous: 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.7 steals (1st in the Big-12). Tamin will be a terror on the defensive end and continue orchestrating a terrific offense for the Cyclones. Keshon Gilbert will also do similar things while being more dynamic as a scorer with the ball. He averaged 13.7 points last season and did some terrific things as a driver and shot maker last season. Now imagine a backcourt who averaged a combined 4.7 steals per game with a 6’8 wing who averaged slightly over a steal per game, ranked 13th in Defensive Box-Plus minus (4.6), and was one of the country's most fundamentally sound and switchable defenders. Joshua Jefferson will give this team a ton of lineup versatility and switchability because he can guard all over the floor due to his lateral quickness in space and physical tools to not get overwhelmed by certain players. The shooting could limit his versatility a bit because he shot 26.7% from deep last season, but he is such a smart offensive player who can play any role. One of the questions for TJ and Iowa State right after their NCAA tournament loss was how they would replace Tre King at the starting center position. Well, they grabbed Dishon Jackson from Charlotte, who averaged double figures, and when they were on the court for Charlotte, they had a +4.3 adjusted NET rating. The player who could take Iowa State to new levels offensively compared to last season is returning sophomore Milan Momcilovic. The Cyclones were an average offensive team last season. They ranked 52nd in adjusted offensive rating (113.9) and 121st in points scored (75.3), and Milan most certainly can raise those numbers with his 3-point shooting and mismatch scoring skills. This team has a loaded starting lineup, and off the bench, they also have great players in Curtis Jones, who was a starter and averaged 11.0 points last season. Nate Heise will be a good scorer off the bench from Northern Iowa, who averaged 13.5 points, and Brandton Chatfield is a big from Seattle who gives them more depth. Iowa State is going to be one of the best defensive teams in the country next season, and the retention and addition of some scorers should improve their offense enough to be a tremendous team overall and the best team in the Big 12.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Tamin Lipsey
G- Keshon Gilbert
F- Joshua Jefferson
F- Milan Momcilovic
C- Dishon Jackson
4. Houston
Kelvin Sampson has developed Houston into a national juggernaut. Last season, they had one of the best prove-it seasons of any program, with how well they performed during their first season in the Big 12. They only lost 3 games during conference play, which is extremely impressive because the Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball. Houston has also averaged 30.2 wins for the past 6 seasons. The Cougars will likely eclipse 30 wins again this season because the only notable player they are losing is Jamal Shead (which is a big one). 4 starters are back for the Cougars. The most prominent returning starters are LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp. Cryer led the team in scoring this past season with a 15.5 points-per-game average, and he led the Big 12 in 3-point percentage at 38.8%. Cryer will again be an elite movement shooter and off-ball scorer for Houston and continue to provide a ton of spacing and scoring for the Cougars. Emanuel Sharp could lead this team in scoring this season because he averaged 12.6 last season and showed a lot of room for improvement last year. If he can become more efficient and dangerous as an inside-the-arc scorer and off-the-dribble scorer, he will be a tremendous offensive player for Houston. They are also returning their excellent depth of frontcourt players, J'Wan Roberts, Ja'Vier Francis, and Joseph Tugler. Roberts is the best of the trio because he is a tremendous offensive rebounder and defensive anchor and has been a starter for two straight seasons. Tugler and Francis are tremendous backups and starters for Houston as well. One of the biggest questions for Houston will be how they look without Jamal Shead, as they had to find his replacement through the transfer portal. Milos Uzan has a ton of talent and potential to be a solid starting guard, but he will need to become more consistent and confident as a player in order to fulfill his potential. He won't be Jamal because he won the Big 12 Player of the Year, but he will be a super solid two-way table setter for Houston next season. Houston is going to be awesome, and their history and current roster make them an easy top 5 team entering this season.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Milos Uzan
G- LJ Cryer
F- Emanuel Sharp
F- Ja'Vier Francis
C- J'Wan Roberts
5. Kansas
Kansas is one of the most historic programs in college basketball, but last season was quite disappointing for them. They finished 6th in the Big 12 with 8 conference losses, which is the most losses they have had in conference play since the Big 12 became the Big 12. They also lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and according to Kenpom, they finished outside the top 25. Kansas did not have a great season last year. Now they loaded up in the transfer portal, returned their key starters from last season, brought in a McDonald's All-American recruit, and have a bounce-back mentality cloud hanging over their program. Kansas will be much better than last season, and returning their big 3 will help tremendously. Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, and KJ Adams will be the 3 musketeers for the Jayhawks again heading into this season as they help the Jayhawks have the best big 3 in college basketball and 3 terrific All-Conference worthy players in their starting 5. Hunter is the best of the trio, as last season he averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Hunter will be the focal point again for this team because his presence around the basket forces defenses to collapse, and he is one of the best post-scorers in the country. Dajuan Harris's return is also huge for Kansas, as only a few point guards have the two-way skill set he does. He will again be Kansas's shutdown defender and primary initiator while also getting a lot of steals and elevating everyone around him with his feel and passing abilities. KJ will also be a returning pillar for Kansas as his ability to affect the game in almost every way possible will raise this team's floor a ton. In terms of the new additions. Kansas added Zeke Mayo, AJ Storr, and Ryaln Griffin through the transfer portal, who were all starters for NCAA tournament teams last season. Zeke is the best incoming transfer for them because he is an incredibly efficient scorer who can play with or without the ball. With South Dakota State a season ago, he averaged 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on shooting splits of 46.6/39.1/82.8. Last season, Kansas had no scoring pop on the perimeter, and Zeke gives you more than enough scoring pop on the perimeter, especially with how well he makes shots off the catch and kills defenders in space at all 3 levels. AJ Storr also gives them more scoring pop on the perimeter, as he averaged 16.8 points last season. Both are going to be tremendous starters for Kansas and give Kansas one of the best starting lineups in basketball. The 2 questions that still lie on this team are spacing and ball screen defense. The ball screen defense was not awful for Kansas last season because they ranked 20th in adjusted defensive rating (95.6), but it is something that wayed their defense down and led to their downfall on that end. Spacing is the biggest problem for Kansas because last season, they ranked 336th in the country in 3-point attempts (17.3) and struggled to get any clean looks in the halfcourt. Teams did not respect Dajuan or KJ as shooters from the perimeter. Because KJ and Hunter thrived in similar spots offensively, it made it easier for defenses to send multiple defenders their way or clog their spots. This team needs more players who can make open shots and stretch the floor offensively. A majority of their spacing issues come from Dajuan, Hunter, and KJ sharing the floor, as last season's starting lineup had a meager 3-point rate of 26.5%. Coach Self needs to figure out how to optimize the spacing whenever the big 3 share the court because neither of them are positives from the 3-point line nor derive attention from opponents when they are shooting from 3. Kansas has a ton of talent entering this season, and they also have the best coach in the country, arguably, so Kansas projects to be a terrific team, but the issues with their spacing will make me lower on them than the consensus.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Dajuan Harris
G- Zeke Mayo
F- AJ Storr
F- KJ Adams
C- Hunter Dickinson
6. Gonzaga
Gonzaga last season had a very quiet season compared to others during this past one, but this year, they return every major player from that Sweet Sixteen team except Anton Watson. Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike are the best returners and 2 of the big reasons why the Zags ranked 5th in adjusted offensive rating last season (122.6). Nembhard last season was tremendous on the offensive end with averages of 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.9 assists (1st in the WCC). Last season, he had an outstanding offensive season with how well he created offense for his teammates and made plays as a pick-and-roll ball handler. Graham Ike also had a fantastic season, as he was the team's leading scorer with 16.5 points per game. He will continue to be this team's go-to option on the offensive end with how well he scores with his back to the basket and finishes plays as a roller and dunker spot operator. Not only will the two-man connection between Nembhard and Ike provide a ton of offensive production for the Zags, but they will also have someone at the wing/forward spot who can be a third option for them in Michael Ajayi. He is a wing/forward transfer from Pepperdine, who led the WCC in scoring with 17.2 points per game and shot 47% from the 3-point line. He will give the Zags someone who can hunt switches in the halfcourt, use his difficult shot-making abilities to raise the floor of the offense, and be a terrific downhill creator for them outside of Nembhard. He also is a great off-ball scorer who will add some more player movement, points of cuts, and screeners for Ryan and Gonzaga. Ajayi definitely has the potential to lead this team in scoring and be this team's best player next season. They also added Khalif Battle through the transfer portal. He averaged 14.8 points last season with Arkansas and will likely be the most productive 6th man in the country this season, given how well he scores in bunches. A big issue for Gonzaga last season was their bench and overall depth, and Battle definitely improves those issues on paper coming into the season. Other than the transfers, the biggest reason Gonzaga is ranked so high in my rankings is all the retention they bring back outside of Ike and Ryan. Nolan Hickman is a starter who averaged 14.0 points, returning for his senior season. Ben Gregg is someone who started over half his games, averaged 9.0 points, and shot 37.7% from 3. Finally, they also return 2 key bench pieces from last season, Dusty May and Barden Huff, who showed promise and started some games for Gonzaga last season. Defensively, this team will need to improve as they ranked 51st in adjusted defensive rating due to some issues defending the perimeter but Ajayi will give them a terrific switchable piece that provides size and someone who could challenge anyone the coaching staff needs him to. Gonzaga's roster is full of talent, versatility, and experience. They are a team with a real shot to win a national title this season, realistically.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Ryan Nembhard
G- Nolan Hickman
F- Michael Ajayi
F- Ben Gregg
C- Graham Ike
7. Baylor
The Scott Drew Express is up and running again and now has more engine power than ever, thanks to the incoming freshmen and transfers while maintaining some key pieces from last season's team. The headline incoming piece for Baylor that makes them a highly ranked team is potential top 5 pick V.J. Edgecombe. He is not the sole reason why they are ranked this high, but his talent raises their ceiling by a good margin because he is such an athletic freak who puts incredible pressure onto the rim, is an efficient shooter off the catch, and a disruptive defender with the potential to become even better for the Bears than he was in high school. His potential on both ends is frightening for opponents and helps give Baylor a special option on both ends. Baylor also added 4-star recruits Robert Wright and Jason Asemota through the high school recruiting trail. Wright will be a solid backup point guard for them, and Asemota has the potential to be a solid wing who provides length for them. The big transfer additions who forced Balyor to break the bank this offseason were Jeremy Roach and Norchad Omier. Omier is a terrific producer who has made two straight All-Conference teams in the ACC, and last season averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks. His rebounding and post-scoring give Baylor a different dynamic on the offensive end because he can collapse defenses differently, give them an easy source of offense when they need a bucket, and easily attack switches. He will also give guards like Roach, Edgecombe, and Love a great screen partner who can free them up with his screening abilities and a great roll partner who can efficiently finish around the basket off pocket passes and lobs. Norchad will be an All-Conference player in the Big 12 this season, and grabbing him on the portal was huge because he was the best big player this year. Coach Drew also got Jeremy Roach, an experienced guard who has played in all kinds of big games and averaged 14.0 points this past season. Baylor loves to have depth at the guard spot, and Roach will be huge for this team because he will be a solid initiator for this offense. Ensure Edgecombe is not overtasked on offense, and he will be another good scorer and shooter in the backcourt. That transfer duo between Omier and Roach will be one of the best in the country. The Bears also have some nice returners from last year's team who will provide depth in Jayden Nunn, Josh Ojianwuna, and Langston Love. Love, when healthy, is a 6th Man of the Year contender because he is a microwave scorer who can quickly put up numbers. Offensively, this team should again be atop the country in all the metrics because it has a ton of guard depth, 3-point shooting off the catch, and now a terrific post scorer. Last season, they ranked 6th in adjusted offensive rating and will likely again finish in the top 10. Defensively, this team will go as far as how good they are on that end. They lack size and length on the perimeter, lack some presence around the basket, and, in the past, have been pretty poor on that end. Last season, in adjusted defensive rating, they ranked 72; the year before, they ranked 107th. This team will likely be a switch-everything defense that thrives on forcing turnovers, mixing up ball screen coverages, and not allowing second-chance points by crashing the defensive glass. Baylor has to be an average defense to contend for a national title, and luckily for them, they have 2 good defenders in Omier and Edgecombe on the roster. The Bears are talented and have a national championship upside, but it is possible that their season ends abruptly for reasons like we have seen in Waco for the past 2 seasons.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Jeremy Roach
G- V.J. Edgecombe
F- Jayden Nunn
F- Josh Ojianwuna
C- Norchad Omier
8. UConn
UConn and head coach Dan Hurley have one goal this upcoming season: to win their third straight national title, something that only John Wooden has done. This team lacks the high-end talent from the past two national championship teams, but it has depth, 3-point shooting, and positional size at the wing spots. Many people think Karaban is this team's All-American player, but I dont think he is quite that level of player. This team will likely have zero All-Americans, which is not a nail in the coffin for their national championship hopes because they have a ton of depth and players who fit their scheme. The 2 best players who embody those things are returning Alex Karaban and incoming freshman Liam McNeeley. Both will be wings who shoot in the 40s from 3, be excellent team defenders, and maintain off-ball and ball movement in this offense. Teams are going to have headaches making sure both of these guys don't get open shots off drive-and-kicks and limit their production on off-ball actions. The spacing the both of them will provide as well will be absurd and extremely helpful for there drivers and downhill creators like Jaylin Stewart, Hassan Diarra, Solomon Ball, and Aidan Mahaney. Stewart and Ball are both terrific breakout candidates who will see more consistent minutes this year and stay on the court due to their ability to score on the drive, make open shots, and defend across the perimeter. They will be huge pieces for the Huskies and likely 2 of the country's most prominent breakout players. Diarra is another perimeter player to mention that is a returner as he is coming off a season where he won the Big East 6th man of the year and performed well off the bench. He will have to make a big adjustment to be a starting point guard for UConn. He is more than capable of being this team's starting point guard because he puts pressure on the rim and makes suitable reads as a pick-and-roll ball handler, and when he was on the court, UConn had an adjusted offensive rating of 131.5. Diarra, overall, should be fine and capable of being this team's starting point guard. UConn brought in 2 interesting transfers: Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed. Mahaney is the better of the two because he has some impressive potential as a 3-level scoring combo guard. He needs to become better around the basket and be a defender to be a starter for this team, but as a 6th man, he could benefit UConn. Other than the lack of high-level talent on this roster, this team also has some issues at the center spot. Tarris and Samson Johnson are fine centers but not as good as Clingan or Sanogo. I wonder if teams try and expose them on the glass, guard them with a wing so they can switch ball screens, and constantly attack them at the basket. Both have issues as scorers outside of lobs and rolls, as decision-makers with the ball, as rebounders, and as consistent interior defenders. Both will need to prove themselves throughout the season as viable bigs for UConn, or else they could cause issues for the Huskies on both ends. UConn has a ton of depth and low-floor players on this roster, but the ceiling for this squad might be lower than that of previous UConn teams. Hurley is the best coach in the country, so you can never underestimate this team or their ability to win games because they will always have a schematic advantage over opponents.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Hassan Diarra
G- Jaylin Stewart
F- Liam McNeeley
F- Alex Karaban
C- Samson Johnson
9. Texas
I know what you're thinking: “Texas is a top 10 in the country.” “You're an idiot for having them that high.” Let me explain before you come to conclusions and think I'm crazy for not submitting to groupthink. To me, Texas is one of the most underrated teams in the country entering this season. They have some terrific depth, a potential lottery pick, and one of the best core 4s in the country, and they are returning some key players from last season's team, who ranked 25th in Kenpom to finish. Texas has a new starting lineup mostly because they added Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope, and Arthur Kaluma in the transfer portal and signed McDonald’s All-American freshman Tre Johnson from Link Academy. Jordan Pope is the incoming transfer who averaged the most points per game with 17.6. Jordan is an excellent shot-maker and pull-up shooter off the dribble who can replicate some of the things Max Abmas did for them last season but better. Tramon Mark will also give them some excellent scoring on the perimeter, as he averaged 16.2 points per game with Arkansas last season. That scoring duo will be one of the best in the SEC next season, but Tre Johnson will also add to the potential for the Longhorn offense. Tre is a 5-star recruit who generated a lot of buzz because of his scoring abilities at 6’6 and potential as an on-ball guy. He has shown upside as a primary initiator for an offense and as a scorer off the ball, but he gives Texas a 3rd ball handler who could initiate an action and has the scoring skills to make shots off the catch and draw 2 to the ball. Texas has a dangerous three-headed monster on the perimeter for their offense, and they also added Arthur Kaluma in the transfer portal, who averaged 14.4 points with Kansas State last season. Arthur’s issues as a player will be perfectly masked on this Texas roster, and his strengths will shine in response. We will see him get to attack closeouts more downhill, get more open shots off the catch, and not be overtasked as a defender. This should be Kaluma's best and most efficient season of his career, and his ability to score and create will make Texas one of the best offensive teams in the country. Aside from the Big 4 for Texas, this team also has some nice role players to round out this roster, like the returning Kadin Shedrick and Chendall Weaver. Also, incoming transfers Jayson Kent and Julian Larry from Indiana State. Kent is the best role player in the group because he is incredibly efficient around the basket, a versatile defender, a great rebounder, and a capable shooter from 3. His rebounding and length should allow Texas to run some small ball lineups with him at the 5 where he can allow them to run some switch-everything defense, 5-out offense and be a deadly transition team. Kent will be a candidate for SEC 6th Man of the Year this season for his ability to affect the game on both ends and with little usage. I do worry about the 3-point shooting and overall plan for this team's offense because Texas has a lot of above-average shooters who could possibly get worse from deep this season. Also, last season, Texas had a very bland offense that relied a ton on isolation and spread pick and roll but lacked ball movement, paint touches and points off spot-ups. Texas has a super-talented team that I am willing to buy into, but there is some volatility around the contraction of the roster and the coaching. I still think Texas will shock people and be one of the best teams in the SEC.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Jordan Pope
G- Tre Johnson
F- Tramon Mark
F- Arthur Kaluma
C- Kadin Shedrick
10. Arkansas
Arkansas had a complete date wipe during this offseason after finishing 11th in the SEC with a losing conference record. Musselman left to take the USC job, and in response, John Calipari was hired. Through high school recruiting and the transfer portal, Calipari built a whole new roster, keeping the only positive player from last year's roster. Calipari is entering this season with much pressure to prove everyone wrong. The roster he is bringing in is super talented and definitely one of the 10 most talented rosters in the country. Headlining this talented roster is the incoming transfer Johnell Davis, who averaged 18.2 points per game with FAU last season. His scoring pop and ability to win games with scoring will fit right into Calipari’s guard-oriented system and give the Razorbacks someone with experience who can use his shot-making abilities to bail out bad offensive possessions. He does have issues as a decision-maker and with turnovers, but luckily for him, he will likely share a backcourt with Boogie Fland, who will be the primary point guard and initiator for the Razorbacks as a freshman. Boogie was a 5-star recruit who was named a McDonalds All-American because of his incredible ball skills, feel as a shot-maker, and ability to win almost every one-on-one matchup. Boogie has first-round talent and skills, and Cal always has a guard who explodes for him on all his rosters. Boogie will give this team another shot creator who can make difficult shots and attack favorable matchups while also giving them an excellent pick-and-roll ball handler who can find open teammates off the ball and lead the Arkansas offense in the half-court. Freshman Karter Knox and transfer DJ Wagner will also be pieces that give this team more scoring and depth in the shot-creation department. A backcourt of Johnell and Boogie is a great one for the offensive end, but defensively, their physical limitations and lack of skills could cause some problems. Arkansas has the perfect frontcourt duo to put a bandage on those issues, and that duo is incoming transfer Jonas Aidoo and returning Trevon Brazile. Both averaged a combined 3.0 blocks per game last season and were terrific rim protectors for their teams last season. Their length and athleticism around the basket will help Arkansas clean up a ton of mistakes made on the perimeter and limit opponents' production on drives. They also have transfer Zvonimir Ivisic on the roster, who is also a terrific shot blocker with a lot of size and length at the center spot. They also have 2 good perimeter defenders who can guard the opposing team's best players and quarterback this team's team-defense in Adou Thiero and Billy Richmond. Richmond is the biggest X factor for this team because if he becomes this terrific and versatile defender who gets a ton of steals and is a great cutter and shooter off the catch, then he will take this team to another level. I do worry about Cal’s ability to maximize all this talent perfectly, whether that's creating ideal lineups for success, making sure this offense is not super stagnant, getting this team prepared for their opponent, and making sure this team is sharp on the margins. Last season, he did an okay job with all of those things, but to me (I know it's crazy), he has to prove it, or else this team will underachieve like past Kentucky teams.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Boogie Fland
G- Johnell Davis
F- Adou Thiero
F- Trevon Brazile
C- Jonas Aidoo
11. Arizona
Arizona is one of the many teams who will enter a new conference this upcoming season as they will enter the gauntlet that is the Big 12. Luckily for them, they will enter the conference with a talented roster that features a returning conference player of the year, some underclassmen ready to take leaps, nice transfer additions, and a gifted freshman. Caleb Love will be the headliner of this roster as he won the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season with averages of 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals. He will again be their go-to scorer on offense who makes tough shots off the dribble and catch but battles with efficiency all year. I expect him to be the same player as last season because he is entering his 5th year of college and has never improved his shooting percentages. His scoring will help elevate the floor of this team's offense and give them someone who consistently draws 2 and garners attention from opposing defenses. Other than Caleb, Arizona is returning 3 key players from last season's team who bring tremendous two-way value: Jaden Bradley, KJ Lewis, and Motiejus Krivas. Bradley is an impressive point guard who makes sound reads as a passer, is a good downhill scorer inside the arc, and is a great on-ball defender. KJ is a feisty and intelligent off-ball scorer who thrives on cuts and opportunities off the catch, is a nasty defender on or off the ball, and has some potential as an on-ball scorer. Finally, Krivas is a massive center who protects the rim better than anyone in the country, can score with his back to the basket, and is a terrific pick-and-roll partner. All 3 of those guys are going to take leaps and bring balance to Arizona this year, as when those three played with Love and Pelle last year, they had an adjusted NET rating of 33.9, which would rank 2nd in the country last year only behind UConn. That lineup rating was higher than their starters last season. Of course, Pelle is gone, and they will miss his connective skillset. Coach Lloyd brought in some good transfers who could replace Pelle’s production and impact on the wing in Trey Townsend and Anthony Dell'Orso. Trey won the Horizon Conference Player of the Year last season, and both transfers averaged 17 or more points per game. Trey is a physical and skilled post scorer who can attack mismatches and make a jumper occasionally, and Anthony is a great off-ball scorer and versatile 3-point shooter who has fun skills as an on-ball scorer. Trey’s size will earn him a starting spot, but Anthony is a real 6th man who could cause damage for Arizona as a micro-wave scorer and ideal floor spacer off the bench. They also added Tobe Awaka from Tennesee to the portal for more depth and physicality in the frontcourt. The x-factor on the roster is a freshman 5-star recruit, Carter Bryant, who could emerge as a lottery pick this season. His athleticism and defensive and pull-up shooting upside will be tremendous for Arizona, and this season, he could emerge as a perfect starting wing in due time. The cherry on top for this roster is that they have another great shot-blocking 7-foot-tall big backing up Krivas, Henri Veesaar, who missed all of last season due to injury. The balance of this roster is so intriguing and exciting because they have a ton of depth and have never been this balanced as a roster under coach Lloyd. The potential for this team is high, and they have a lot of pressure to do some damage in the tournament this year because they have fallen short in the past couple of years.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Jaden Bradley
G- Caleb Love
F- KJ Lewis
F- Trey Townsend
C- Motiejus Krivas
12. North Carolina
The Tarheels were one of the top teams in the country last season all year long. They won the ACC, earned a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and made the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. This year, they enter the season with only two returning starters and 1 double-digit scorer. That loan-returning double-digit scorer might be the best scorer in the country, RJ Davis. RJ, during this past season, averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists and won the ACC Player of the Year. His chances to win National Player of the Year are super high, and he might improve on his numbers from last season just because of how the roster looks currently. The Tarheels should be a super spreadout and fast-paced team that thrives on the offensive end. Pieces like incoming transfer Cade Tyson, Seth Trimble, Jae'Lyn Withers, and Jalen Washington will all be solid floor spacers who make open shots off the catch and provide value as spot-up creators. Tyson will be the best at it because he shot an absurd 46.5% from 3 last season and has proven to be a high-feel off-ball player. Seth has the most potential to be more than just a spot-up player for Carolina. His flashes of being a solid initiator and downhill creator could make him a solid second-side and transition offensive creator on top of his skills off the catch and on spot-ups. He could also lead bench units by being a solid downhill scorer and ball handler on the wing. RJ will not be the only one who will push the pace and turn this offense into a juggernaut because returning sophomore Elliot Cadeau will do that as well. His playmaking and ability to find open teammates with his lightning-quick processing capacities will create tons of open shots off the catch, make teams pay for mistakes in transition, and elevate their pick-and-roll offense. Last season, Carolina ranked 15th in adjusted offensive rating (119.7), and they will likely crack the top 10 next season due to the spacing and positive decision-makers the roster has and the nuclear scoring they will get from RJ. The two X-factors for this team overall are the incoming freshmen Drake Powell and Ian Jackson, who both have first-round talent at the wing spots. At their best, Ian is a fierce scorer who can bake favorable matchups, make shots off the bounce, put pressure on the rim, and consistently make surface-level passing reads. Drake Powell could be a top-10 pick due to his efficient scoring around the rim, good 3-point shooting off the catch, ever-growing pull-up scoring tools, and tremendous and versatile defensive wherewithals. Both have such high ceilings as one-and-done contributors, but Hubert Davis has shown in the past that he overthinks playing freshmen and sometimes holds them back from being the best version of themselves. Defensively, I worry about this team a lot because they lack rim protection down low, are minute on the perimeter, and have a negative backcourt defensively. A lot of their success last season was due to their defense because they ranked in the top 10 in adjusted defensive rating, in the top 35 in opponent field goal percentage, and in the top 15 in defensive rebounds per game. Jalen Washington and Ven-Allen Lubin are going to have a ton of pressure to protect the rim, control the glass, and anchor the Tarheels pick and roll defense because their perimeter defenders will give up a lot of drives and spot-up opportunities. I don't know if Jalen and Ven-Allen will be the best options for cleaning up mistakes and protecting the rim on defense because neither have been the strongest defenders in their college careers. Carolina will be in many high-scoring games and will have to hope Drake Powell is disruptive enough to raise the floor of their defense. Carolina is going to be a team that is hard to beat and match due to their offense, but their defense will cause them to get upset by some teams and not be on the level of other great teams around the country.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Elliot Cadeau
G- RJ Davis
F- Seth Trimble
F- Cade Tyson
C- Jalen Washington
13. UCLA
The Bruins, after having a nightmare season all last year, will enter a reset by entering a new conference (the Big 10) and adding a ton of new pieces through the transfer portal. Last season, this was one of the worst offensive teams in the country as they ranked 152nd in the country in adjusted offensive rating (107.4), 337th in points scored (66.0), 312th in field goal percentage (41.9%), and 324th in assists (11.2). They lacked almost everything on offense but they did have a good scoring duo in the backcourt that is returning. That duo is Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack, who scored a combined 25 points per game. Those 2 will continue to give UCLA a lot of pop on the offensive end with how well they make shots and create off the dribble. Both need to grow as 3-point shooters for this offense to become one of the best in the country because both shot under 35% from deep, but UCLA added a lot of offensive talent through the portal. Tyler Bilodeau is one of the biggest additions they got who could replace Bona as a starting center. He won't be the defender like Bona, but his 3-point shooting and feel will allow UCLA to play 5-out offense and space the floor way better for Mack and Andrews. Last season, Tyler shot 34.5% from 3 and averaged 14.3 points a game. Dominick Harris was a big-time addition to the Bruins during the offseason. He will give them elite shooting from 3 as he shot 44.8% last season, which led the WCC, and his shooting will also allow UCLA to run more off-ball actions in the halfcourt and be a team with an elite kick-out option for their drivers. They also are returning Lazar Stefanovic, who shot 38.9% from 3. This team will be a solid offensive team with more shooting, flexibility, and space around their growing scoring backcourt duo. Defensively, this team will also regain its elite defensive status next season with the addition of Kobe Johnson. Kobe is going to be an elite defender on this team who causes chaos as a help defender and gives them a switchable piece that can wreck days for certain scorers. His length was something the Bruins were missing last season, and he will make his impact felt on day 1 for the Bruins and potentially be the defensive player of the year in the Big 10. The Bruins also added William Kyle for defensive purposes because he won the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year last season and averaged 1.6 blocks. His athleticism, switchability, and rim protection skills will add to UCLA’s defense and another option at the center spot whenever they need a defensive first option. They also have the flexibility to play Tyler and William together because Tyler is a capable shooter and driver off the catch. Williams's tools also make him a positive defender on the perimeter when needed. The Bruins have an abundance of talent on their roster for this upcoming season, and this team should be much better and more versatile under coach Cronin. I really like this UCLA team, and they, to me, are the best team in the Big 10.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Dylan Andrews
G- Sebastian Mack
F- Lazar Stefanovic
F- Kobe Johnson
C- Tyler Bilodeau
14. Auburn
Auburn has officially become a basketball school. Again, its basketball team is better than its football team and is considered a top-25 team heading into the season. Auburn has an intriguing team coming into the year because they have a national player of the year candidate leading a bunch of interesting, complimentary players. That will naturally make their ceiling a little lower than others, but their ceiling is still SEC champions. It would not shock me if this squad won another SEC title and ranked in the top 10 in Kenpom again. The player who causes me not to be surprised or limit their ceiling is Johni Broome. Last season, he averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.2 blocks while also shooting 35.4% from 3 and ranking 3rd in the country in BPM (13.3). On both ends, he will garner so many responsibilities for the Tigers this season. His shot-blocking will help Auburn be a good defensive team overall; his post-up scoring will give them an easy source of offense, and his size, skill, and feel will give opposing defenses so many problems trying to stop or contain him. When listening to Bruce Pearl before the season starts, it sounds like he wants to play 2 bigs this season. He wants Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome to be there starting frontcourt this season. To me, that might work because Johni is a capable shooter from 3 and is a smart help defender who can provide value as a roamer on defense. I do worry if they try to make him a traditional defender on opposing 4s because his footspeed is not ideal for defending consistently on the perimeter. It will be fascinating to see how frontcourt paring plays out, but their size will make it difficult for teams to score around the basket. Auburn reshaped their backcourt and guard room this offseason through the transfer portal by adding JP Pegues, who averaged 18.4 points with Furman, and Miley Kelly, who averaged 13.9 points with Georgia Tech. Auburn is also returning Denver Jones and is bringing in freshman 4-star recruit Tahaad Pettiford. Pegues is the best guard on the roster because he is a guard who can make 3-pointers off the bounce efficiently and make sound decisions as a ball handler. JP will give Auburn a lethal pick-and-roll partner for Broome, someone who can create shots for himself and others, be a viable off-ball scorer, and be a guard who has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Miles Kelly and Denver Jones will likely both be solid off-guards who provide solid shooting off the catch and give them more scoring off the dribble on the perimeter. Defensively, I worry about this team on the perimeter because there is not a lot of length or options that give you irrational confidence. They will need to find out how they will limit penetration and production on the perimeter with their current guard/wing room. Auburn has a lot of talent surrounding a national Player of the Year candidate, so they, of course, deserve a spot on my preseason top 25.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- JP Pegues
G- Denver Jones
F- Miles Kelly
F- Dylan Cardwell
C- Johni Broome
15. Kentucky
Kentucky is entering a new era. They let go of Coach Calipari, have one true incoming freshman, and have Mark Pope leading the charge now. This team will be very different with all the upperclassmen they have on the roster, but that, plus Pope's analytical coaching style, will make them one of the best teams in the SEC and the country. Coach Pope built a perfect roster to fit his style of play and scheme as he added 9 transfers this offseason. The two biggest additions in the portal during this offseason were Koby Brea from Dayton and Jaxson Robinson from BYU. Both are elite 3-point shooters off the catch who can make 3’s off movement, spot-ups, and light fire from 3 quickly. Jaxson is much better as a ball handler and on-ball scorer than Brea, but both thrive off the ball and have limited dribbles. Andrew Carr was another terrific 3-point shooter who was added through the portal from Wake Forest as his ability to stretch defenses as a four and small ball 5 will add a lot of versatility and spacing to the lineups he is in. Carr is also an underrated defender who does not get enough credit as he averaged 1.5 blocks per game last season and did some nice things as a weak side and ball screen defender. Him sharing a frontcourt with transfer Amari Williams from Drexel will help lessen some of the concerns on the defensive end because both will be very solid rim protectors paired together and provide the size in the interior. Amari is a much better defender than Andrew, though because he can wreck games on that end with his scheme versatility, ability to rack up steals and blocks, and guard 2-4. He won 3 straight defensive player of the Year awards in the CAA, and for his college career, he has career averages of 0.8 steals and 1.8 blocks. His defense will be extremely useful for Kentucky. Lamont Butler and Brandon Garrison are also terrific defenders who will add to this team's defense. Lamont, with San Diego State last season, won the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year with an average of 1.5 steals per game and was the leader of the 11th-best defense in the country. His on-ball defense will be terrific, paired with the shot-blocking presence of Amari, Carr, and Garrison (1.5 blocks per game); it will be tremendous for this team's defense and make it very hard for the opposing team's best players to produce efficiently against them. Kentucky also added Otega Oweh, a solid and switchable perimeter defender. The point is that Kentucky will be a good defensive team that will stifle some good offenses. Those positive defenders will also provide value on offense as Amari and Garrison are high-feel bigs who will fit perfectly in Pope’s halfcourt actions where he has the center play as a hub. Lamont will be a super solid initiator and table setter for the shooters and overall offense, as he averaged 3.0 assists per game. Finally, Otega was a solid driver and 3-point shooter (on low volume) with the Sooners last season. Kerr Krissa and Ansley Almonor are also transfers who will bring value and depth to this offense. Both are good 3-point shooters who have shot high percentages from deep. Ansley is more of a connective forward, and Kerr is a pure table-setting and pace-pushing point guard. This offense is going to be terrific all season and one of the most high-powered and fast-paced during the entire season. Not having a star on this roster is worrisome because, typically, national title winners and contenders have at least one NBA-caliber player on their roster, and this Kentucky team has zero players who are ranked in the top 60 on my upcoming preseason board. Of course, one could emerge during the season, but this team lacks high-end talent right now. Kentucky in Mark Pope's first season will be super fun to watch because of how deep and versatile they are as a team. This team will be contending for the SEC title this season and will be difficult to beat all season.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Lamont Butler
G- Jaxson Robinson
F- Koby Brea
F- Andrew Carr
C- Amari Williams
16. Purdue
The Boilermakers are back after a terrific season last year. They made the national title game, won the Big 10, and had the national player of the year on their roster. This year, they lost that national player of the year but returned most of the team from that national title runner-up run. The big returner is Braden Smith, who is one of the 6 best point guards in the country. Last season, he averaged 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists (led the Big 10), and 1.6 steals. This will be his team this year, as he will be the primary source of offense for the Boilermakers. Last year, they relied heavily on post-ups for offensive production, and now, with Braden, this will be a heavy pick-and-roll team and motion-oriented offense. Braden definitely has the shooting capabilities to average 16 or more points per game. Fletcher Loyer is another big returner who averaged double figures a game. He again will give Purdue some shooting from deep, another ball handler next to Smith, and someone who can have explosive scoring games. His consistency needs to improve for Purdue to be a second-weekend team. Other than those 2, Purdue has a bunch of returners who had inconsistent minutes nightly but have a lot of talent and need to take leaps. 3 players who will take leaps to me are Myles Colvin, Caleb Furst, and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Trey will be the replacement center for Zach Edey, and while he won't be as good as him, he could be a solid starter who provides value as a roller, post-scorer, and face-up scorer. The most essential breakout they need is Myles Colvin, the sophomore wing. Purdue will need some positive defenders on the roster because whenever Edey was off the court, their adjusted defensive rating dropped to 101.1, which would rank 84th in the country. Colvin has the length, athleticism, and defensive anticipatory mindset to be the go-to defender for this team. He also has 3-point shooting potential, shooting 41.4% on 1.9 attempts from deep last season. Purdue has a ton of continuity heading into this season, and they are bringing in 2 interesting freshmen, Daniel Jacobson and Gicarri Harris. Continuity never hurts, and Purdue definitely has a big advantage over everyone in the country with how much returning production they have from last season and a boatload of players who could realistically make big leaps.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Braden Smith
G- Fletcher Loyer
F- Myles Colvin
F- Caleb Furst
C- Trey Kaufman-Renn
17. Indiana
The Hoosiers are here and have never had bigger expectations since the Tom Cream era because they spent the bank for some impact transfers. Last season, they missed the NCAA tournament and finished 10-10 in conference play. Their disappointing performance was due to their ineffective and cramped offense, which ranked 105th in adjusted offensive rating (109.8), 215th in points scored (72.3), and 273rd in 3-point percentage (32.4%). This offseason, Woodson brought in some more offensive talent and kept the bright spots on that end. In the portal, they acquired Oumar Ballo, Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, and Luke Goode. They kept Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Trey Galloway, and Gabe Cups. Lastly, they brought in McDonald's All-American recruit Bryson Tucker. Myles Rice is the biggest addition to their team. He was the freshman of the year in the Pac-12 last season with averages of 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. Indiana had no good guard last season, and Rice will bring stability to the backcourt, add some scoring, and be more than qualified to lead a good offense. Kanaan Carlyle is another transfer addition who will improve their guard room and add more juice to their perimeter production. He averaged 11.5 points per game last season with Stanford. Both are tremendous additions to the backcourt and will improve the Indiana offense from last season, but so will returning wings Mackenzie Mgbako and Trey Galloway, who both averaged double figures last season. Trey is a veteran Hoosier who has always been consistent as a shooter and connector on offense, while Mgbako has some incredible potential to be this team's best player. He is a former top-10 recruit I loved during high school because he is a wing with nice positional size, shooting touch, and scoring abilities. Last season, he averaged 12.2 points on poor shooting numbers, and I expect those numbers to improve with a point guard who can find him on open shots and with more experience in college. Mgbako could easily lead this team in scoring and create a ton of offense with his shot-making abilities. Someone who could do the same and add to the abundance of talent on this roster is an incoming freshman 5-star recruit, Bryson Tucker. Bryson is an athletic wing who is a talented pull-up shooter and shot-maker from 3 and the mid-range. He will give Indiana another viable creator on offense who can attack a matchup when needed and space the floor at a high level from 3. I have him in my projected starting lineup solely because of his 3-point shooting and the length he provides on the length. Mgbako lacks the footspeed to guard good wings consistently, and I hope they don't start Ballo and Reneau together. Speaking of Ballo and Reneau, they are both bigs who give this team a big advantage down low. Reneau is the better of the two and has been in Bloomington throughout college. He is a super-skilled center who can run inverted actions, score efficiently off post-ups, make an occasional 3-pointer, make sound reads as a passer, and be effective off the role. He is going to benefit the most from the new additions in the backcourt because he has Conference Player of the Year talent. He will be a terrific ball screen partner for anyone on this roster and put pressure on the rim in various ways against opposing defenses. Ballo was another big addition to Indiana's portal, as he was a longtime starting center for Arizona, and he averaged 13.5 points in his last 2 seasons there. He adds depth in the frontcourt and a different style of big compared to Malik. He is someone who thrives on his strength, runs the floor, and thrives as a roller. He should be the backup for this team because he and Malik should not play together due to their limited footspeed and floor spacing capabilities. This leads perfectly to my concerns with this team, and they all center around spacing on offense. Rice and Carlyle were inefficient shooters from 3 last season, Mgbako was an incontinent shooter from deep last year, and I have a huge intuition that Woodson will play Reneau and Ballo together. I hope Woodson does not get in his own way with running the spacing of this team because he would again cause some of the same issues that last year's team was plagued with. It is also possible that their new additions underachieve as shooters from deep, except for Luke Goode, the transfer from Illinois, who has a career 3-point percentage of 38.8%. This team will go as far as their spacing does because they are incredibly talented and swimming in high-level players on the roster, but spacing is needed in today's basketball, especially in college basketball, where defenses play gaps harder.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Myles Rice
G- Kanaan Carlyle
F- Bryson Tucker
F- Mackenzie Mgbako
C- Malik Reneau
18. Texas Tech
Meet one of the most underrated teams in the country entering the season: the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who finished 3rd in the Big-12 and 31st in Kenpom last season. They are returning 3 double-digit scorers from a team that ranked 27th in adjusted offensive rating last season (117.4) and added 2 high-level transfers in the portal that will elevate that offense. Again, This team will be a high-level offensive team that will likely be one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country next season. A season ago, they ranked 72nd in 3-point percentage (35.9%), and 45.3% of their attempts came from Pop Isaacs and Joe Toussaint, who shot below 30% from deep. Since both are gone, Darrion Williams will get more than 2.9 attempts per game, Chance McMillian will get more than 5.1, and Kerwin Walton will get more than 4.1. Walton and Darrion both shot above 45% from deep last season. Speaking of Darrion, he is one of the most underrated players coming into this season. He is a multi-faceted wing who can guard 1-4, make open shots off the catch, score at the rim, and be a high-level secondary playmaker. He averaged 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals during this past season, and those numbers should take some leaps with a larger role and continuity with the roster. Chance McMillian is also another big returner who has the potential to take a leap this season. His 3-point shooting will make Texas Tech an elite halfcourt offense and provide them with another terrific play-finisher who can feed off drive and kicks and make teams pay for leaving him open or sending a double toward his teammates. Kerwin Walton is another shooter who can do similar things, as he shot 47.8% from deep. A sneaky returner for the Red Raiders is Devan Cambridge, who only played 8 games last season but averaged 10.5 points in those 8 games. In terms of new additions, Grant McCasland added two great transfers who will likely start: JT Toppin and Elijah Hawkins. JT was one of the best bigs in the transfer portal this offseason because he is a superb athlete who is an elite roller and lob threat on offense while also being very disruptive and impactful on the defensive end. JT averaged 12.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals and led the Mountain West in blocks with 1.9 while being a freshman. Texas Tech did not rank in the top 200 in the country in steals or blocks and ranked 65th in adjusted defensive rating (100.1). Now they are adding someone with great steal and block numbers and a big who led the Mountain West in defensive rating (93.8). JT has a ton of potential on both ends of the floor and will immediately elevate this team's defense with his ability to protect the rim, switch onto the perimeter, and make tons of plays as a weakside defender. Texas Tech also added Elijah Hawkins as their point guard replacement for the starting lineup. Imagine giving a point guard who finished 3rd in the country in assists per game (7.5) and had a 38.8% assist rate last season with elite shooters and a terrific ball screen partner. Elijah is the perfect point guard for this team because he is going to find open teammates quickly, create a ton of open drive and kicks, find cutters inside the arc, and have an elite 2 man game with Toppin. It would not shock me at all if Hawkins led the Big 12 in assists per game and again finished in the top 5 in the country in assists as well. They also added some nice depth pieces in Federiko Federiko and Kevin Overton in the transfer portal. The defense will continue to be the question for this team because they lack athleticism and length on the perimeter, but adding two bigs in the portal who can protect the rim and a point guard who averaged 1.6 steals will make improvement imminent for Texas Tech. Also, they have a head coach who is defensive-oriented and has coached some terrific defensive teams. The spacing, depth, and potential on the offensive end make me love this Texas Tech team, and I can not wait for them to shock some people as they challenge the top teams in the Big 12 and look like a sneaky second-weekend team with some of the performances they showcase during the season.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Elijah Hawkins
G- Chance McMillian
F- Kerwin Walton
F- Darrion Williams
C- JT Toppin
19. Wake Forest
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have more pressure than anyone in the ACC because they have not made the NCAA tournament since 2017, and this might be their most talented roster since then. It's such a talented roster because they are returning 3 key starters from last year's team, are bringing in a former McDonalds All-American in the transfer portal, and have added some more good players through the portal. The glaring returner for Wake Forest is Hunter Sallis, who averaged 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and made an All-Conference team last season. This season, he has the potential to win ACC Player of the Year, be a first-team All-American, and possibly win the National Player of the Year because he can score with the best of them. Sallis took an insane jump last season, as before he came to Winston-Salem, he was a defensive-oriented guard who struggled on offense with Gonzaga. Once he arrived at Wake, he became an electric scorer off the dribble who could produce at all 3 levels and create something out of nothing consistently. After saying that, we could see another jump from him, whether that's developing into a pure point guard, pairing that defense he played at Gonzaga with the scoring tools he equipped at Wake, or becoming even better as a scorer by averaging 22 or more points per game. The possible outcomes for Hunter are deep but we know he will be one of the best-scoring guards in the country this season, at the very least. Wake is also returning Efton Reid and Cameron Hildreth to complete the big 3, as Reid is a physical big who can be a solid screen partner, protect the paint, and defend in the interior. And Hildreth will be a very solid secondary scorer and ball handler next to Hunter like he was last season, averaging 13.8 points. We also could see a jump from him this upcoming season because he played with a broken hand for a good portion of the season. That big 3 will be the nucleus of this team, while all the new additions will be solid protons and neutrons around them, orbiting and elevating the team. Tre’Von Spillers and Omaha Biliew will be Wake's best transfers because both are forwards with tremendous defensive capabilities and play-finishing abilities. Wake ranked 59th in adjusted defensive rating last season because they lacked multiple positive defenders on the roster. This year, they will have Spillers who averaged 1.3 blocks last season with App State and did a solid job playing in multiple defensive coverages. Also, Omaha Biliew who has terrific defensive potential due to his athletic and physical tools to guard in space and defend 1-4. Both will improve this team's defense while giving Sallis and Hildreth solid lob options, screen partners, and cutters who can feed off the attention that they garner from opposing defenses. Wake also added backcourt players David Cosby and Ty-Laur Johnson, who will give them some more ball handlers, shooting from 3 and scoring juice occasionally. They also brought in 1 notable freshman, Juke Harris, who has potential as a solid 3 and D wing who can attack off the catch and add to the depth of this team. The frontcourt of Spillers and Reid has me concerned a bit because neither are solid 3-point shooters or capable perimeter players, so they could hurt the spacing of the Wake Forest offense. I also worry about this offense whenever Sallis is not playing well or out of the game because last season when Hunter was off the court, their adjusted offensive rating dropped to 109.1 (125th in the country). They must find someone who can carry the offensive load whenever Sallis is off the court or not playing well. Defensively, this team will always be questioned until proven wrong because, under Forbes, they have not been a good defensive team. The best they ranked among the country under Forbes was 42nd, which is good but could have been better. This team is talented and capable of winning many games and making the NCAA tournament; they just need to find a way to bring balance to their roster and make sure the details are fine-tuned.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Hunter Sallis
G- Parker Friedrichsen
F- Cameron Hildreth
F- Tre’Von Spillers
C- Efton Reid III
20. Xavier
The Musketeers were devastated by injuries all year long, which turned their season upside down and forced them to plummet to the bottom of the Big East. This upcoming season, those injured players will be healthy, and they were one of the biggest winners of the transfer portal with the additions they made. They added 3 double-digit scorers from the portal this offseason. Marcus Foster averaged 17.0 points with Furman, Ryan Conwell, 16.6 points with Indiana State, and Dante Maddox Jr. 15.6 points with Toledo. Foster, for Xavier, will be a solid off-ball scorer who defends his matchup well and spaces the floor on the wing. Dante is a good passer who is an efficient shooter from 3 at the guard spot, and finally, Ryan Conwell is one of the best 3-point shooters and off-ball scorers in the country. Not to mention, those three transfers can all score off the dribble when needed. Finally, those 3 guards/wings will share a perimeter with returning point guard Dayvion McKnight, who averaged 12.4 points and 4.8 assists last season and did tremendous things as an initiator and 3-level scorer. Xavier also added some nice bigs, such as John Hugley IV and Lassina Traore. Unfortunately, Traore will miss the season due to injury, but Hugley will give them a solid backup big who provides size and strength around the basket. He will back up the returning All-Conference big Zach Freemantle, who missed last season due to injury but averaged 15.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists the year before that. He gives Xavier a good post-hub who can make plays as a scorer and passer on the block, can take advantage of slower bigs on the drive, is a good short-roll creator, and makes a 3-pointer a game. Jerome Hunter is another key returner from injury who will add a two-way connective skillset on the wing for them. My favorite returner for Xavier is returning sophomore Dailyn Swain who showed incredible potential on the defensive end while having all the offseason buzz of turning into a solid offensive player. If he can be a good 3-point shooter off the catch while continuing to be a solid mid-range creator, off-ball scorer, and high-level defender, he will be an NBA player and one of the most improved players in the country. Xavier is deep and full of talented upperclassmen players but does have some concerns on the defensive end. Dailyn Swain is a great defender who can raise the unit's floor, but a lot of small guards/wings will be getting minutes, and Freemantle is not a good defender. This team lacks length, comfortable switchability, and rim protection. The good thing about this team's defensive potential is that Xavier ranked 45th in the country in defense, even with all their injuries. Maybe Coach Miller can scheme around and develop this team into a positive one on that end. The defense will be the skeleton key for this team's future and potential because they have all the offensive talent in the world to cause some damage and potentially win the Big East.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Dayvion McKnight
G- Ryan Conwell
F- Marcus Foster
F- Dailyn Swain
C- Zach Freemantle
21. Cincinnati
This might be the year for the Bearcats, as they finally have talent equivalent to that of the best teams in the country due to some key returning players from last season and underrated additions in the portal. Day Day Thomas, Dan Skillings, Simas Lukosius, Jizzle James, Aziz Bandaogo, and CJ Fredrick are the key returners who excite everyone about this team. Dan Skillings was a big returner for them because he led this team in scoring (12.9) last season and has brilliant flashes of being a big forward who can impact the game on both ends and have some nice scoring games. Lukosius and Thomas are also terrific returning pieces for them, as they finished 2nd and 3rd in scoring on the team. Lukosius is a skilled wing with a high feel for the game and can score with or without the ball. He averaged 11.8 points last season and shot 38.5% from 3. Thomas is an excited scoring guard who can make difficult shots off the dribble, be pesky on the defensive end, and create shots for others. He averaged 10.4 points and 3.3 assists last season. They also have a similar exciting scoring guard in Jizzle James, who had 2 20 20-point games in the NIT this season. Aziz is also a great returning starter because he is a tremendous lob threat, roller to the rim, and shot blocker, averaging 1.7 blocks a game last season. All those returners will add continuity and great defensive capabilities to Cincinnati this year. Cincinnati ranked 19th in the country last season in adjusted defensive rating (95.5), and with Aziz in the fold for the whole season, they should get better on that end, which is crazy to think. A portal addition who could also help make their defense even better is former 5-star recruit Dillon Mitchell from Texas. Dillon has not met expectations while playing in college, but changing scenery could help him immensely. His length and athleticism will help Cincy a lot on defense because he could be that switchable multipositional defender that they have been lacking next to Skillings. This team will be awesome again on the defensive end because of the number of willing defenders they have on the roster, the defensive coach they have in Miller, and the shot-blocking they get from Aziz. I know their fans will be mad about me having them lower than Xavier, but their half-court offense and overall efficiency have me pouring some cold hotter on the fire they have been generating this off-season. They ranked 79th in adjusted offensive rating (112.0), 205th in field goal percentage (44.3%), and 143rd in points scored (74.7). Offense will be a concern this season, but they have the continuity and defensive infrastructure to cause some damage in the Big 12 and be a contender in the NCAA tournament this upcoming season.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Day Day Thomas
G- Simas Lukosius
F- Dan Skillings Jr.
F- Dillon Mitchell
C- Aziz Bandaogo
22. Ole Miss
One of the offseason's biggest winners this summer was Chris Beard and Ole Miss. They brought in five transfers who averaged double-digit points per game with their previous schools, kept their best player from last season, and are bringing in a McDonald's All-American Freshman. The Rebels have one of the country's most experienced and talented teams entering this season. The big transfer additions Ole Miss made were Sean Pedulla, Malik Dia, Mikeal Brown-Jones, Dre Davis, and Davon Barnes. Pedulla, Dia, and Davis will also likely start for Ole Miss, as all had a combined points-per-game average of 48.3 last season. Dre Davis has the talent and past production to be the most impactful new transfer for Ole Miss because his two-way skills will bring a ton of value to Ole Miss. Offensively will be an average shooter off the catch who can also score a lot of cuts, create in the mid-range, be a screener for a ball handler, and put a ton of pressure on the rim as a driver. Defensively, he will give them a switchable wing who can make plays as a low man, which was lacking last season. Dre is going to be a terrific Swiss army knife for the Rebels. Another transfer who will bring a lot of value is Malik Dia, who is an athletic stretch rim-protecting big. Ole Miss did not have any bigs who could provide any value on offense, and Dia is not only a good lob target and finisher around the basket, but he also shot 34.1% from 3 on 3.9 attempts. Dia will give Ole Miss someone who is a capable threat on offense while also being a great defender near the rim. They also added Mikeal Brown-Jones from UNCG to add depth to their center spot. He averaged 18.9 points per game and ranked in the top 50 in the country in BPM. Ole Miss has fixed its issues at the center with these 2 transfer additions. Sean Pedulla will also be a terrific addition from the transfer portal because his shooting from 3 and ability to make shots off the dribble will give them more offense and the perimeter next to Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray, who are guards that averaged double figures for them last season. Matthew Murrell's return brings this team to another level and a clear top-25 team coming into the season. This past season, he averaged 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. He again will be a dynamic downhill scorer who makes shots from deep and kills opponents in transition with or without the ball. Murrell will likely be an All-Conference 1st team type of performer for the Rebels this season and a sneaky SEC Player of the Year candidate. Defensively, I still worry about this team even though they added Dre Davis and Dia because they have a smallish backcourt and few good perimeter defenders. They also ranked 141st in the country (104.5) in adjusted defensive rating last season. This team will have to be a turnover-forcing and aggressive defensive team that makes opposing teams uncomfortable. Ole Miss is full of talent and experience as they will challenge teams atop the SEC all year and be a team that has some terrific offensive stats that make people love this team all year. Ole Miss will be a very good team all season long.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Sean Pedulla
G- Matthew Murrell
F- Dre Davis
F- Jaemyn Brakefield
C- Malik Dia
23. Tennessee
One of the teams that I am surprisingly low on is the defending SEC champion Volunteers from Knoxville. Tennessee lost a lot during the offseason and had to make significant ground in the transfer portal. Their transfer class is headlined by Igor Milicic Jr., Darlinstone Dubar, Chaz Lanier, and Felix Okpara. Lanier was the addition that gained the most attention because he averaged 19.7 points per game last season and shot 44% from 3. He is a tremendous off-ball scorer who can thrive in off-ball actions and off-the-catch. Igor Milicic is a big wing from Charlotte who can score with or without the ball, space the floor with his 3-point shot, and use his length to impact the game defensively. Felix Okpara is an athletic, defensive-oriented big who can block shots at a high level, switch onto guards, use his length to condense the court, and finish plays on offense. My favorite of the transfer additions is Darlinstone Dubar from Hofstra. He is a big, athletic forward who shot 39.9% from 3 last season and has done great things as a mismatch attacker and off-ball scorer. These guys are going to add depth, 3-point shooting, and size to a team that will need more length and size around their longtime starting point guard, Zakai Zeigler. Zakai is a very accomplished point guard who has made 2 All-Conference teams during his career and has a double-digit career point-per-game average. Zakai plays his best basketball when he sets up the offense for everyone else, picks his spots as a scorer, pesters opposing offenses, and is not overtasked as a creator. With how this roster is shaped right now, it looks like he will be optimized to the fullest because he will create open shots for these incoming transfers with his technical playmaking abilities and provide some ball handling for everyone in the halfcourt. Zakai is, of course, the big-time returner for Tennesee, but Cameron Carr could explode for them as a returner. He only played in 14 games last season and averaged 4.3 minutes. Carr has been getting a lot of buzz during the offseason due to the added strength he has put on and the performances he has displayed during NBA player camps like the Tatum Elite Camp. Carr has the upside of being a good scoring wing and an excellent 3-point shooter, on-ball defender, and driver when attacking the basket. With more minutes and a defined role, we should expect a breakout from him and be one of the most improved players in the country. Aside from Carr, Tennesee also returns Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack, J.P. Estrella, and Cade Phillips. Phillips and Estrella will be fine backup bigs this season, Gainey will again be a good microwave scorer off the bench, and Mashack will continue to be the perfect hustle player and on-ball defender for this team. This team will likely be an excellent defensive team because Coach Barnes is a great defensive coach; they have a lot of long and strong wings, Okpara is a very good defensive anchor, and Zeigler won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season. I worry about this team on offense because they lack someone who can put pressure on the rim consistently, bring gravity on offense, raise the floor of the halfcourt offense, and consistently create off the dribble. Nobody on this roster has consistently done that through their college career, and it likely will have to be an offense that relies on diverse actions, extreme ball movement, and tons of off-ball movement. Rick Barnes's offenses in the past have not been reliant on or have those characteristics used to describe his offense scheme. Igor and Dubar have some potential to be those on-ball scorers and creators on offense, but they have to prove it before we give them the benefit of the doubt. Tennessee has the potential and depth to be a solid team that competes for back-to-back second-weekend appearances, but the lack of offensive creation could doom them all season long.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Zakai Zeigler
G- Chaz Lanier
F- Igor Milicic Jr.
F- Darlinstone Dubar
C- Felix Okpara
24. Oregon
The Ducks are making a sizable transition to a new conference this season. Because of the players that returned from last season and the underrated moves they made in the transfer portal, their transition to the Big 10 will go much better than other schools switching conferences. The 2 biggest returners for the Ducks this season will be Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr., who both have legit shots to make All-Conference teams and hear their names called when the draft comes—starting with Jackson, who will be the lead ball handler of this Ducks offense. He has breakout and major leap written all over him because of his skills as a scorer and ball handler. Jackson showed a ton of flashes of being an elite 3-level scorer last season. He only shot 34.5% from 3 this past season, but consistency and more experience should help him become more efficient from deep. Jackson has all the talent at the guard spot, as does Kwame Evans Jr., but at the forward spot. He averaged 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks a game last season and, overall, was a terrific defender who boosted the Ducks team's defense and gave them a super switchable on-ball defender with length. When he was on the court last season with Oregon, the Ducks had a top-50 defense, and with more experience in the college game, he should have some fantastic defense production. Offensively, I expect him to make a jump as well for Oregon by improving the 3-point shot and gaining more confidence on that end. Last season, he only took 5.6 shots per game, and Oregon had a top-50 offense last year. Expect his shot attempts to gain and for him to be a very fun, connective scorer and offensive player. Other than Jackson and Kwame, Oregon is also returning Nate Bittle, who is a talented big who only played 5 games last season due to injury, Keeshawn Barthelemy, who is a solid backup guard, and former McDonald's All-American Mookie Cooke, who was injured all season long during this past one. Regarding new additions in the portal, they added TJ Bamba from Villanova, Brandon Angel from Stanford, Supreme Cook from Georgetown, and Ra'Heim Moss from Toldeo. All those transfers averaged double figures in their previous spots. Bamba and Angel will be very solid shooters who thrive off the ball and defend well on the perimeter. Next to Shelstad, they both will space the floor, make open shots off his passes, elevate this team's halfcourt offense, and take on tougher defensive assignments to hide Jackson. Moss will be an electric bench scorer for the Ducks, who will make tough shots, put pressure on the rim, and possibly elevate the Ducks offense once he enters the game. Oregon will be an excellent team that contends for the Big 10 because of their balanced and talented roster. Still, consistency is a worry for this team because everyone on this roster has had some consistency issues during their college careers. Oregon still deserves some respect and recognition as one of the 25 best teams in college basketball because they are incredibly talented.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Jackson Shelstad
G- TJ Bamba
F- Brandon Angel
F- Kwame Evans Jr.
C- Nate Bittle
25. Florida
The Gators are the last team in my top 25 rankings. Their star power in the backcourt, good big additions through the transfer portal, and potential offensively make me like this team and willing to rank them 25th. The star on this roster is returning senior point guard Walter Clayon Jr. He averaged 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals last season on shooting splits 43.2/36.5/87.7. He will continue to be an All-Conference player this season because he will be a dynamic shooter from deep, have explosive scoring games, and force headaches to opponents trying to find players to slow him down. He easily could eclipse 20 points a game this season. Like last season, Walter will have another great partner in the backcourt, Alijah Martin, a transfer from FAU. Alijah is more capable of being a good defender and leans towards being a scorer than Pullin did last season, but he will impact this team similarly. Alijah will be a terrific secondary scorer next to Clayton Jr. and improve Florida’s perimeter defense with his tenacious on-ball defense. Returning senior Will Richard will also add to the perimeter talent of Florida. He averaged 11.4 points last season and again will give Florida a great 3rd offensive option. The defense was a big issue for the Gators last season, and this offseason, they added some solid bigs in the portal and kept their hidden gem from last year's team for another year. The 2 headlining transfer additions this offseason in the frontcourt were Rueben Chinyelu from Washington State and Sam Alexis from Chattanooga. Both averaged a block or more per game last season, and they should help give Flordia more rim protection and safety nets behind their perimeter players. Alex Condon was the hidden gem that returned for Florida as he is due for a breakout season. He has the potential to be a solid do-it-all, big forward who can impact the game on both ends. As I said earlier, Alijah will provide a defensive boost on the perimeter. Florida will again be a sharp offensive team, but they will also be an improved defensive team due to their additions. I wonder if their offense will be as good as last season's because they don't have a true point guard on the roster, and there are not a lot of hyper-efficient 3-point shooters on this team. They will still be one of the 50 best offenses in the country, but will they be game-changing on that end? The Gators again will be one of the best teams in the SEC and a sneaky contender to do some damage in March.
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Walter Clayton Jr.
G- Alijah Martin
F- Will Richard
F- Alex Condon
C- Rueben Chinyelu
