2022-23 College Basketball: Preseason Top 25

1. North Carolina

 The Tar Heels will return just about everyone from last year’s team that was just one win away from winning the National Championship game. Armando Bacot will be at the top of every preseason Player of the Year award list and the backcourt of Caleb Love and RJ Davis make up arguably the most dynamic backcourt in the sport. Love struggled at times last season, but he gave Tar Heel fans enough flashes of greatness. It was also very impressive how much toughness Bacot showed throughout the NCAA Tournament run, which included 15 points and 15 rebounds against Kansas in the National Title Game.

While it will be tough to replace a guy like Brady Manek, Northwestern Transfer Pete Nance is as good as you can ask for. With Leaky Black also returning as one of the best defenders in the sport, there isn’t much missing from this North Carolina team. North Carolina’s ability to battle adversity at the most important time last season was very impressive, considering their early struggles. This North Carolina team did not win a true “Quadrant 1” game until mid February and never played their best basketball until the most ideal team. However, we all saw just how good of a team North Carolina was when they were playing at their absolute best team in March

2. UCLA

 The hype and expectations for this UCLA team aren’t particularly close to last year for UCLA, but that might not even be a bad thing. Going into last season, UCLA was fresh off a Final 4 appearance and similarly to North Carolina this season, returned just about everyone. While UCLA wasn’t able to get back to the Final 4, they were one of the better and more consistent teams in College Basketball, staying ranked inside the Top 10 for the majority of the season. While Johnny Juzang not returning will be a massive loss, the overall roster construction for this UCLA team should be better compared to the last few seasons.

There isn’t a better duo of returning players in College Basketball then Tyger Campbell and Jamie Jaquez Jr., who are both Seniors and have been at UCLA since Mick Cronin’s first season. Campbell has a legitimate argument for best Point Guard in the sport and Jaquez is among the favorites for Pac 12 Player of the Year. In addition, UCLA will bring in the #12 ranked recruiting class in the country headlined by future NBA players Amari Bailey and Adem Bona. With Jaylin Clark set to break out as well, there aren’t many better Starting 5’s in the country. All Mick Cronin has done in his three seasons in Westwood is win, and that shouldn’t change in 2022-2023

3. Kentucky

 It feels like it’s Final 4 or bust in Lexington this year, and while that can be said for Kentucky Basketball every season, this one feels different. Kentucky fans haven’t felt as much heartbreak as they’ve felt during the last two years of the John Calipari era, as they’ve missed the NCAA Tournament and lost in the opening round of the big dance to Saint Peters.

Luckily Oscar Tshiebwe, will be the first reigning National Player of the Year to return to school since Tyler Hansborogh in 2008. In addition, Kentucky will also be returning key starters from last season in Sahvir Wheeler and Jacob Toppin. That didn’t stop John Calipari from bringing in another great freshman class, headlined by Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston. There is a really good mix of experienced and young talent, and historically those are the teams that have done really well in the Month of March.

While Tshiebwe and Wheeler have already suffered minor injuries which shouldn’t be too impactful, and that is never a great way to start the season, John Calipari and co. should have it covered. There are enough pieces to lead this Kentucky team to the top of the SEC and a deep NCAA Tournament run.

4. Gonzaga

 In each of the last two seasons, Gonzaga has entered the NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed, but unfortunately Mark Few is still chasing his first National Championship. What more people need to realize is the fact that in a single elimination postseason like College Basketball, it is so difficult to win that first title.

 If you keep knocking at the door enough times, then it will ultimately open for you. Gonzaga does return one of the best players in the sport in Drew Timme, which should help with the key losses of Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard to the NBA. The key for this Gonzaga team will be Sophomore Nolan Hickman, who will be taking over at Point Guard. Hickman didn’t do much as a Freshman, but will be inserted into a key role. While there is plenty of shooting around him with both Rashir Bolton and Julian Strawther returning to school, there will be some pressure on Hickman to keep things organized. Chattanooga Transfer Malachi Smith, should also have a role off the bench, but finding consistent scoring behind Timme will be key for the Bulldogs

5. Baylor

I still have a ton of what if’s, when it comes to the 2022 Baylor Bears. While at full strength, this team looked good enough to repeat as National Champions for the first time since 2007-2008 Florida. Unfortunately, along the way to earning their second consecutive #1 seed in the big dance, there were a ton of injuries suffered. LJ Cryer, was looking like a major contributor for the Bears, averaging 13.5 points per game in the first 19 games of the season. Cryer then suffered a foot injury on January 25th, and only was able to play in one more game for the rest of the season.

In addition, Jonathan Tchama- Tchatoua also suffered a devastating season ending leg injury, which was the nail in the coffin for the Bears chances at repeating. Luckily, Cryer will be back this season alongside Adam Flagler in the backcourt. Flagler is one of the more underrated players in the country, averaging 13.8 points per game last season and has shot over 39% from three in his college career. With five-star Freshman Keyontae George coming in as well, Baylor is the team to beat in the Big 12 and should be right back in the National Championship conversation.

6. Houston

 Kelvin Sampson has built one of the best and most consistent programs in all of College Basketball over the past few seasons, and that will not be coming to an end anytime soon. Sampson has led the Cougars to a Final 4 and Elite 8 appearance in each of the last two seasons. What made Houston’s season so impressive last year, was the fact that they lost one of the best players in the country in Marcus Sasser for the season due to a foot injury and they got better from it.

 Following Sasser’s injury on December 11th, the Cougars went 24-4 for the rest of the season including the NCAA Tournament. Sasser will be back this season, alongside Jamal Shead, to make up one of the better backcourts in the country. Houston will also return a healthy Tramon Mark, who was a key contributor to the 2021 Final 4 run, before he also suffered a season ending injury last season. Sampson also ramped it up in the recruiting game, bringing in five-star Freshman Jarace Walker, who will likely be among the top Freshman in the sport and will have a future playing in the NBA. With this being Houston’s last season in the American before they join the Big 12, look for the Cougars to send one more message that they’re ready for Power 6 competition

7. Creighton

 There wasn’t a team in all of College Basketball that ended last season in more impressive fashion than Creighton. With a team that returned zero starters from the 2021 team that made the Sweet 16, Creighton won 23 games and made it all the way to the Round of 32. In that Round of 32 game against Kansas, Creighton was missing their Starting Point Guard in Ryan Nemhard and starting Center in Ryan Kalkbrunner. This is in addition to losing their original starting Point Guard Shareef Mitchell, who was lost for the year at the very start of the season. With all three guys back in the mix, alongside Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and others, this Creighton team could be the best we’ve seen in some time.

 The Blue Jays will also add South Dakota State transfer Baylor Schierman, who was one of the most heralded players on the market this past offseason. Creighton was a pleasant surprise to many people in College Basketball last season, including possibly some of their own staff. The Blue Jays made it all the way to the finals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, after dominating two NCAA Tournament teams in Marquette and Providence.

Kaluma will be my pick to win Big East Conference Player of the Year, and should be playing in the NBA next season. These Blue Jays should be the clear cut Big East favorite heading into the new season and are a serious National Title contender.

8. Tennessee

Tennessee will enter the 2022-2023 season with one of the most talented and deepest rosters in all of College Basketball and this program just feels due for a special season ending with postseason success. The Vols won their first SEC Tournament Title since 1979, en route to earning a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Despite losing a five-star Freshman in Kennedy Chandler, there are plenty of pieces to like for this Tennessee squad.

Primarily, Santiago Vescovi will be returning to school, for his 4th year in the Tennessee program. Vescovi has developed into one of the better and more underrated players in the SEC, as he has scored over 900 points in his college career. In addition, other guys like Zakai Ziegler and Josiah Jordan- James, that are familiar with the program will help Tennessee emerge at the top of the SEC. Ziegler is someone that all coaches love, as he is trustworthy leading your offense and will show his toughness at many times throughout the game. Tennessee took the floor for an exhibition against Gonzaga last week, and won by a 29-point margin without Josiah Jordan- James.

Although you have to take these exhibitions with a grain of salt, that is a score that stands out. Even though he hasn’t had a ton of tournament success, there aren’t many coaches in the country I’d take over Rick Barnes and he will lead Tennessee to a big season.

9. Duke

Last season marked the end of an era, for not only Duke Basketball, but all of College Basketball, with the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K led the Duke program to five National Titles, and 13 Final 4 berths, which included 2022. Now, his top assistant John Sheyer takes control and he did a great job ensuring that Duke will have at least the talent to compete at the Duke standard.

The Blue Devils have the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country, headlined by Dereck Lively II, Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Fillipowski and Mark Mitchell. These five-star recruits, should at least help with the losses of Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, Mark Williams and Trevor Keels to the NBA. Losing all of these guys, alongside Coach K, will not make things easy for Duke. However, they will return Point Guard Jeremy Roach, who is very experienced, entering his third year of playing College Basketball. In addition, he also played his best basketball of the season at the best time in March.

With the addition of experienced high major transfers in Jacob Grandison from Illinois and Ryan Young from Northwestern, Duke will have a nice mix of older and younger guys. The question is just how much will they miss the Legendary Coach K and 4 NBA players they lost?

10. Arkansas

 Head Coach Eric Mussleman has transformed this Arkansas program into one of the better programs in all of College Basketball, in only three seasons. In each of the last two seasons, Coach Muss has taken Arkansas to the Elite 8, when not a ton of people had heavy expectations.

What has made Muss’ run so impressive at Arkansas, is the fact that he’s made subtle adjustments in the middle of the season to get Arkansas where they’ve wanted to be. Last season, Arkansas’ season couldn’t have started off much worse, as they began SEC play at 0-3 and also suffered an embarrassing loss to Hofstra during non-conference play. Arkansas then proceeded to go 17-4 for the rest of the season, and were only one win away from making the programs first Final 4 since 1995.

 Arkansas is set for another big season, despite losing each of their top 4 scorers from 2022. A lot of it has to due with the fact that Arkansas brings in the #2 ranked recruiting class in all of College Basketball, headlined by Nick Smith, Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black. Smith has a legitimate argument for best NBA Draft prospect that will be playing College Basketball this season. Mussleman also did his usual damage in the transfer portal by bringing in Trevon Brazil from Missouri and Ricky Council IV from Wichita State. Brazil was the most talented player on a poor Missouri team and will be an impact player this season while playing for a better team. 

While it might be hard for many other coaches to adjust to losing all this talent, there aren’t many other coaches I’d trust more in this situation than Muss. This is based on the fact that he is very used to flipping rosters successfully and ultimately finding the right buttons to push with any team of talented players.

11. TCU

 The Horned Frogs were one questionable foul call and a Bennedict Mathurin three- pointer away, from upsetting #1 seeded Arizona in the Round of 32 last season and going to the Sweet 16. As tough as the ending was, Jamie Dixon will be bringing just about everyone back, from last year’s TCU squad that won 21 games.

Mike Miles Jr. is among the front-runners for Big 12 Player of the Year, and there aren’t many other Guards in College Basketball that can be trusted more. Eddie Lampkin Jr. is a name to watch in the frontcourt, after he burst onto the scene in the NCAA Tournament. As only a Freshman, Lampkin scored 20 points and secured 14 rebounds in TCU’s narrow NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona. Prior to Dixon arriving in Fort Worth in 2016, TCU had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

Now, Dixon will have the Horned Frogs on track to make their three out of the last five big dances’. The one question for TCU will be the fact that Guard Damion Baugh will start the season suspended, due to signing with a non-certified agent during the NBA Draft Process last spring. Baugh is one of the better defenders in the Big 12 and can provide some offense. However, with guys like Emmanuel Miller, Charles O’Bannon Jr. and Rondell Walker also ready to contribute, TCU has plenty of guys to manage the load until Baugh is back.

12. Kansas

 It was only 31 weeks ago that the Jayhawks defeated North Carolina in the National Championship game, to secure their 4th National Title in program history. That 2022 Kansas team was on a mission to secure the National Championship. Ever since their magical 2020 season was cut short, they were considered the clear best team in the sport when the season shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Dajuan Harris and Jalen Wilson are the only remaining members from that team and Kansas will have a lot of production to replace.

 Kansas will lose Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, David McCormack, and Remy Martin, who all made major contributions along the way to secure Kansas the National Title. Although Bill Self does bring in an impact transfer in Kevin McCullar and one of the better Freshman classes in the country headlined by Grady Dick and MJ Rice, there are still plenty of questions for this Kansas team. Will Zach Clemence or KJ Adams be ready to fill the role of McCormack?

Kansas has had an impact big in their lineup consistently, but now might be the time where Bill Self has to use KJ Adams as a small ball 5. Kansas came out very sluggish in their Monday exhibition against Pittsburg State, and it might take some time for this Kansas team to get things together after losing so many key contributors from last year’s National Title squad.

13. San Diego State

 Brian Dutcher has developed San Diego State into one of the more underrated programs in all of College Basketball. The Aztecs have won 56 games in each of the last three seasons, and this could finally be the year for a deep NCAA Tournament run after some recent early exits. The Aztecs will return one of the better players in the country, in Matt Bradley. Bradley finished 9th in the Mountain West in scoring last season, averaging 17 points per game. Bradley also shot a very efficient 40% from three and 43% from the field and is among the early favorites for Mountain West Conference Player of the Year.

 The Aztecs defense however, is what they’re really known for. San Diego State finished first in defensive efficiency, throughout the entire country, only averaging .085 points per opponent’s position. A lot of that has to do with Nathan Mensah, who alongside Bradley will be one of the best returning players in the Mountain West.  Mensah was the 2022 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, after leading the Mountain West with 2.2 blocks per game. San Diego State will also return key role players with a ton of experience including Adam Seiko, Lamonte Butler, and Aguek Arop. At times in 2022, San Diego State did struggle offensively. That included blowing a seven-point lead in the last two and half minutes in their opening round NCAA Tournament loss against Creighton. To help, San Diego State added Seattle Transfer, Darion Trammell. Trammell averaged 17.3 points and 5 assists per game last season, and should definitely give a spark to San Diego State’s offense.

14. Illinois

 There aren’t a ton of people labeling the Fighting Illini as the team to beat in the Big Ten going into the season, but I’m one of them. Despite getting some criticism for never making it to the Sweet 16, Brad Underwood is one of the most underrated coaches in the country and it is only a matter of time until he leads Illinois to a deep NCAA Tournament run. Illinois has won a combined 47 games over the last two seasons. That is pretty impressive considering Illinois only won a total of 35 games combined in the two seasons prior to Underwood getting there. He also led the Illini to their first Big Ten Tournament Title and #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2005. Despite losing a ton of production from last season, there wasn’t a team that did better work in the transfer portal then the Illini.

Illinois also added a pair of transfers from the Big 12 in Matthew Mayer from Baylor and Terrance Shannon Jr. from Texas Tech, who have both played a ton of Basketball at the highest level and will immediately help this Illini team.

In addition, Illinois has a few breakout candidates of their own returning from last year in Coleman Hawkins and R.J Melendez. Using these 4 guys, Illinois can play a very athletic, switchable, versatile lineup that can score and defend very well. While it’s never easy to put your trust in a Freshman Starting Point Guard, Skyy Clark is a very talented player that will be put in a position to succeed around the talent of this Illinois team. Illinois is one of the most underrated teams nationally heading into the season, and they are my pick to win the Big Ten.

15. Texas

 The Longhorns enter the season as one of the more intriguing teams in College Basketball, with a wide range of possible outcomes. Last season, Chris Beard brought in what many people thought was a star-studded transfer class, but unfortunately, we never saw the results translate on the basketball floor. While Texas won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2014, the basketball on the floor wasn’t ideal and they should have been better. It was always going to take some time however for Beard to establish a culture in Austin and with another very talented roster back this season there are no excuses.

Texas will bring back a handful of those transfers that were expected to do big things last year in Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Christian Bishop, and Dylan Disu. That didn’t stop Beard from bringing in major talent from the outside, as Texas added arguably the best transfer on the market for the second consecutive season in Tyrese Hunter. The 2022 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, would have been the frontrunner or Big 12 Player of the Year had he returned to Iowa State.

Now, Chris Beard hopes having Hunter on the ball will help open things up for Marcus Carr, who had some trouble scoring as a lead Guard last season. Texas will also add 5 star Freshman Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris, and it will be an interesting dynamic to see how this team’s chemistry looks compared to last season. It was clear from early on Texas’ chemistry was off last season and that will be a major factor into just how good this Longhorn team will be.

16. Villanova

 While all of the focus has been on Duke and how they would replace Coach K since the beginning of last season, no one expected that last season would be the final go around for Jay Wright at Villanova. In his 20 seasons as Villanova Head Coach, Wright led the Wildcats program to two National Championships, 4 Final Four birth’s, 8 Big East Regular Season Titles and 5 Big East Tournament Titles.

 Although we didn’t know it at the time, last year was a very appropriate ending to Wright’s run at Villanova, as he brought the Wildcats to the Final 4. Former Villanova Assistant under Wright, Kyle Neptune will take over for Wright, after leading Fordham to a 16-16 season in his first ever gig as Head Coach. Having someone familiar with the Villanova culture will help, but it will be interesting to see how much of an adjustment has to be made without Wright. Guys like Caleb Daniels, Eric Dixon and Brandon Slater will all return to school after flourishing in key roles last season.

However, Villanova was also relying on five-star Freshman Cam Whitmore to contribute in a major way and he will miss the start of the season with a thumb injury. Daniels will be one of the better players in the Big East and should be ready to flourish as a primary school following the loss of Collin Gillespie. Villanova won 134 total games in Gillespie’s five years on campus and will go down as one of the better Point Guards in the history of the Big East. Although Villanova should still be near the top of the Big East, it is unreasonable to expect no drop-off right away following the loss of two winners like Gillespie and Wright.

17. UConn

 Danny Hurley’s fifth year in charge at UConn, feels like it is the biggest for him yet. While the Huskies have made each of the last two NCAA Tournaments, they have yet to make it out of the first round and both losses weren’t particularly close. After some adjustments, and a ton of players from last year’s team returning, it feels like this could be the year where the Huskies finally break through.

Primarily, UConn will return the Preseason Big East Player of the Year in Adama Sanogo. Sanogo has been a key contributor for UConn in the front court in each of the last two seasons, as he has scored over 500 career points with over 360 career rebounds. UConn will also return Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins alongside Sanogo, and these guys taking steps forward is something that can completely raise the ceiling of this UConn team.

 Hawkins showed flashes of greatness at times last season, averaging 5.8 points per game in only 14.7 minutes per game of action. Hawkins shot 33.3% from three and is sure to improve those shooting numbers with more consistent playing time. Although Jackson, who is one of the most dynamic and athletic players in the country, will start the season out with a thumb injury, UConn does expect him back by the PK85 in late November. With Hurley also adding some quality transfers like Tristan Newton, Nahiem Alleyne and Hassan Diarra, this UConn team should be deeper compared to years past and has all the ingredients for a big season.

18. Indiana

The Hoosiers are labeled by many as the team that should be the preseason favorite in the Big Ten. Despite the fact that they’ll be very good and much improved, that doesn’t change the fact that this team wouldn’t have made the NCAA Tournament if they didn’t come back from a 13-point halftime deficit in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan. The Hoosiers were very inconsistent at times last season, which is not something that should come as a surprise in only the first year of the Mike Woodson era.

Although myself and many others were skeptical of the Woodson hire when it first happened, he has done a great job changing the culture in Bloomington. Woodson led Indiana to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2016 in a very successful first season.  A lot of this had to do with the fact that he convinced a handful of Archie Miller’s players to stay and play for him and a ton of them will be major contributors this season.

 Trayce Jackson-Davis is one of the better returning players in the country, and was named the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. The 6’9” Senior has averaged at least 13 points per game in each of his first three seasons playing at the college level and should be ready for a big leadership role, as the experienced veteran. In addition, Point Guard Xavier Johnson will also return to school and Indiana played their best basketball last season when he was playing at his best.

 With other guys like Jordan Geronimo, Tamar Bates and Jordan Hood- Schifino, Indiana will have a ton of guys on the wing capable of contributing on a consistent basis. However, before this team is labeled as the team to beat in the Big Ten, I need to see a little more consistency from a team that struggled at times last season.

19. Oregon

Dana Altman’s team has become one of the more difficult teams to rank in the preseason, considering he is a very good coach that usually brings in a ton of new talent. With that talent, they will eventually breakthrough in a big way or we’ll see a season like last 2022, where it just never worked. Oregon was one of the more disappointing teams in College Basketball last season, after they entered the season ranked as the #13 ranked team in the country. Unfortunately, the Ducks lost five of their first ten games and were never able to regain a spot in the Top 25.

 This season, Oregon does bring in some new faces while also bringing some old faces back. The Ducks will have one of the bigger frontcourts in the country featuring N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier and Kel’el Ware. Dante and Guerrier are very experienced at the College level, and should be more used to playing with each other after last season. It was very apparent from very early on in 2022, that Oregon’s chemistry needed to be better and that is the hope with these players coming back.

  Ware will enter as one of the most highly regarded NBA Draft Prospects in the High School Class of 2022. Having a player like Ware that is skilled enough to play the 3 at 7 feet tall. Oregon will also welcome in a pair of transfer Guards in Jermaine Couisnard and Keshawn Barthelemy to go along with Will Richardson in the backcourt. Having an experienced Point Guard like Richardson will be vital for this Oregon team, as having an experienced Point Guard will be helpful with some new players. Dana Altman has had plenty of teams that are very talented, that might not be at their best early, but play their best basketball at the most opportune time.

20. Alabama

 There weren’t many teams in College Basketball that entered last season with more momentum than Alabama. In only Nate Oats’ second season in Tuscaloosa, he led the Crimson Tide to their first SEC Regular Season Title since 2002. That momentum carried over into the early portion last season, as Alabama collected victories over Gonzaga and Houston during their non-conference slate. Those victories along with another one over Baylor in the Big 12/ SEC Challenge, gave Alabama some insurance during SEC play.

 The Tide needed that insurance, as they were able to get into the NCAA Tournament after really struggling in SEC play. Alabama had two separate three game losing streaks during SEC play, including ending the season on a 4-game losing streak. That included losing as a pretty substantial favorite to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. It seemed that there was something wrong with Alabama since the start of conference play and they were never able to recover.

 Alabama does say goodbye to a few of their key contributors, but based on the way last season went down, that might not be a bad thing. Alabama will lose two good players in Jaden Shackeford and JD Davison, but those who watched Alabama last season know they weren’t perfect themselves.

Now, Nate Oats will bring in some players headlined by five-star Freshman Brandon Miller. Miller likely has a future playing in the NBA with elite size and strength, while improving as a scorer. In addition, Alabama will bring in Dom Welch from St Bonaventure and 5 former 5 star recruit Nimari Burnett, who will be returning to the floor after tearing his ACL.

The Tide will also return a few players that can be in for big seasons. Big man Charles Bediako will anchor the frontcourt and will be one of the better defensive players in the SEC. Alabama will also hope to get Jahvon Quinerly back on the floor healthy, after a devastating knee injury against Notre Dame last season. As poor as 2022 was in Tuscaloosa, the Tide have enough talent and new faces and a coach I trust, to get this thing turned around.

21. Virginia

Last season was a rarity in Charlottesville, as Virginia missed their first NCAA Tournament since 2013, which was only Bennett’s fourth year at Virginia. This season, Virginia will return Virginia will return each of their six leading scorers from last year’s team that did end up winning 21 games and making the NIT.

Kihei Clark will be returning for his fifth and final season of College Basketball, as he continues to be the only remaining Cavalier from the 2019 National Championship squad. Clark has used his experience to his advantage, scoring right at double figures in each of the last three seasons. In today’s College Basketball, where there isn’t a ton of great Point Guard play, having someone you can trust like Clark is very valuable.

 Jayden Gardiner was one of the more underrated players in the ACC last season and would have gotten way more attention if Virginia had been playing to their usual standards. Virginia’s best moment of last season came when they pulled a shocking upset at Duke thanks to Reece Beekman’s clutch three at the buzzer. Beekman will be among the best shooters in College Basketball this season, following his major improvement from long range last season.

 Part of what has made Virginia so good in years past has been how much better you become with years under your belt in the system. Last year was the first time in a while that Virginia was bringing in a handful of new players that weren’t used to the system. There are plenty of guys with breakout potential on this roster, including big man Kadeen Shedrick who also kept getting better as last season went on

22. Texas A&M

 There wasn’t a team that was left out of the NCAA Tournament that was playing better basketball at the time, than Texas A&M. The Aggies started playing their best basketball at the best time of year, including a great run to the title game of the SEC Tournament. There were a few Aggie fans that were getting a little impatient with Buzz Williams, as he has still not made an NCAA Tournament since arriving at College Station in 2019.

 This year should be the year however, with Texas A&M returning three of their top four leading scorers from a season ago along with some other additions from the transfer portal. One of Texas A&M’s biggest strengths last season was depth, considering Buzz Williams played 12 different players, more than an average of 7 minutes per game last season. Henry Coleman, Tyrese Radford and Wade Taylor IV will all return as major contributors, each capable of leading the Aggies to victory on different nights.

 Buzz Williams also brought in some high major transfers including Dexter Dennis from Wichita State, Andersson Garcia from Mississippi State and Julian Marble from Michigan State, who should all contribute this season.

  Although Aggie fans may be a little disappointed through the first few years of the Williams era, it is important to remember that he has won everywhere he’s been and the Aggies easily could have been a tournament team last season. Texas A&M even continued their very good play during a long NIT run, which ended in a title game loss to Xavier.

23. Xavier

 There isn’t a team in College Basketball that will experience a bigger coaching upgrade, than Xavier after the addition of Sean Miller. Xavier did a great job consistently winning and getting to the big dance, prior to 2019. The Musketeers made the NCAA Tournament in 12 of the last 13 seasons, prior to Travis Steele taking over. It was clear after last season that changes that had to be made. The Musketeers started 14-3 which included wins over Marquette, Creighton and Virginia Tech, who were all NCAA Tournament teams. Xavier then went on to lose 9 of their next 14 games and continued the streak of never making the big dance under Steele.

 Now Xavier, brings in their former Head Coach Sean Miller, who coached Xavier from 2004-2009. Xavier made the NCAA Tournament in four of the five seasons Miller was there, including a run all the way to the Elite 8 in 2008. In addition, Miller had a great run at Arizona leading the Wildcats to three Elite 8’s during his 12-year run in Tucson.

 Xavier did go onto win the NIT, playing much better basketball under Interim Head Coach Jonas Hayes. Miller also did a really good job getting some of Xavier’s best players to return to school after the coaching change. This includes Jack Nunge and Colby Jones, who were both selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. With a clear coaching upgrade in Miller, there is now reason why this Xavier team shouldn’t make their first NCAA Tournament since 2018.

24. USC

 Andy Enfield’s Trojan’s have become one of the more underrated programs in College Basketball, winning 26 games one season after losing a top 5 draft pick in Evan Mobley. Enfield has not sent 7 different players to the NBA during his time at USC, and still not enough people speak about just how good and consistent this program has been.

This season, USC will return a nice trio in the backcourt, headlined by Pac 12 Player of the Year Candidate Drew Peterson. After starting his college career at Rice, Peterson has been a key contributor to each of the last two USC teams that have both made the NCAA Tournament. Peterson has scored over 1200 points in his college career and showed last season just how capable of a scorer he can really be.

 In addition, Boogie Ellis will return for his second season in South California, after starting his college career at Memphis. Once a consensus five-star recruit, Ellis has had some nice moments but could be in for a major breakthrough at USC. Ellis will have the ball in his hands at all times for this Trojans team and should be one of the better Point Guards in the Pac 12.

 With the loss of Isiah Mobley, USC may need a breakout candidate to help replace that production. Reese Dixon-Waters fits that role perfectly, as he will have a much clearer path to playing time as a Sophomore, after showing flashes in sparring playing time last season.

The #1 concern for USC will be in the frontcourt, as they will likely be without the services for 5-star Freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu due to a heart issue. While it is unknown if Iwuchukwu will be able to return to the court, USC will not be able to rely on him to provide consistent minutes. Look for former Long Beach State transfer Joshua Morgan to fill his role early on.

25. Oklahoma

There hasn’t been one Top 25 I’ve looked at that has included Oklahoma’s name and I’m not sure why. Porter Moser will bring back a lot from last year’s team that overachieved in Moser’s first year in Norman and Oklahoma also made some major additions from the Transfer Portal.

 Moser has won 118 games since his 2018 breakout season at Loyola-Chicago, in which he led the Ramblers all the way to the Final 4. The coaching job Moser did at Oklahoma in his first season was also impressive, considering the Sooners won 19 games, made the NIT and knocked the reigning National Champions Baylor out of the Big 12 Tournament.

 Oklahoma will return a pair of veterans that may not be the most flashy players, but they always find a way to get the job done. Jalen Hill will be back for his Senior season, and he has gotten better and better each year since arriving in Norman. With more of a featured role, Hill will be one of the better players Oklahoma has in 2023. Tanner Groves will also be back after impressing in a big way during his first year in the Big 12. The Eastern Washington transfer has scored over 1,000 points in his college career and didn’t have any trouble adjusting to the style of play in the Big 12.

The key for Oklahoma this season however, will be Nevada Transfer Grant Sherfield. Sherfield led the Mountain West in Assists per Game last season with 6.4 and that was in addition to scoring over 17 points per game. With more talent and a better coached scheme, Sherfield can take the next step as a go to scorer while playing for a very good Oklahoma team.

While this pick might be a tad outside the box compared to consensus, Porter Moser has proven he can win plenty of games and this will be one of the better rosters he’s ever had.