zags-not-zogs's Week Pre-Season Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | Edey returns and does much of the same; Smith and Loyer take the freshman-to-sophomore leap; cohesive team offensively and defensively |
| 2 | Kansas | Adding Dickinson is big, but this team will be so good because of the numerous pieces it has: Harris, McCullar, Adams, Jackson, Timberlake, etc. |
| 3 | Duke | Freshmen who do well and come back for another year typically make a large jump. Filipowski and Proctor should do so, add Roach, Mitchell and the freshmen to make a formidable squad |
| 4 | Marquette | Big East champs (x2) last year. Bring everyone back but O-Max. Led by the best PG in the country. Should be awesome. |
| 5 | Houston | Betting on Sampson's consistency more than anything. Roberts will anchor down low, Shead paired with Cryer and Dunn will be lethal. Several promising bench pieces |
| 6 | Creighton | Depth should be improved this year. Kalkbrenner is in his own stratosphere as an offensive + defensive presence. Ashworth should amply replace Nembhard. Alexander could be a star |
| 7 | Michigan State | The frontcourt is mostly unproven. Their guard-reliant composition makes them well-built for March, but they may have struggles in the regular season |
| 8 | Tennessee | If Ziegler is healthy, the offense should stay afloat while the defense carries them. The return of JJJ and Vescovi is big, and the transfers should boost the offense. Aidoo should make a jump. |
| 9 | UConn | Lost its 3 best players. It will be a tall task for Clingan to sustain his efficiency through more minutes. Good additions were made to supplement Clingan, Karaban, and Newton |
| 10 | Texas A&M | Losing Dennis hurts, but the retention of Taylor and Radford leaves the Aggies with one of the best backcourts in the sport |
| 11 | Arizona | Ballo will anchor them down low. Boswell and Love should pair well together in the backcourt. Larsson may make the jump expected last year. |
| 12 | North Carolina | Bacot and Davis are a fantastic core. Jalen Washington should make a big jump. The transfer additions fit well with the roster. |
| 13 | Florida Atlantic | The Owls have excellent balance. Each of their rotation players contribute. They may be a tad guard-heavy |
| 14 | Kentucky | It may take UK a few months to take shape, but the freshmen lineup alongside Reeves, Mitchell, and Thiero possess unmatched raw talent |
| 15 | Villanova | Moore and Dixon are skilled veterans. The transfer class fits very well with what they have. If the developmental pieces don't make a jump, the bench could be thin. |
| 16 | Arkansas | Very difficult to project. The roster is full of talent. Avoiding last year's plagues (injury and chemistry issues) will be key for the Hogs. |
| 17 | Gonzaga | More unknown on the roster than usual. Nembhard should allow Hickman to be more comfortable. Shooting and frontcourt production are major questions. Watson is defensive-minded and Ike has been injured |
| 18 | San Diego State | The losses of Bradley and Mensah are very big. The players behind them are well-equipped to fill their shoes, but this team will likely be less imposing defensively. |
| 19 | Texas | Disu showed flashes of what he could be in the postseason last year. Hunter and Abmas should be an electric backcourt. Shedrick was a good frontcourt addition. Questions remain about the other pieces. |
| 20 | Saint Mary's | The defense should take a hit with the losses of Bowen and Johnson. Mahaney, Saxen, and Ducas will keep them neck and neck with Gonzaga in the WCC. Several developmental pieces should make strides. |
| 21 | Miami (FL) | There are serious questions about the defense. Keeping the offense as electric as last year will be difficult without Wong and Miller. Poplar, Pack, and Omier are very good. |
| 22 | USC | The ceiling for this team is very high. The frontcourt may have questions. Ellis and Collier will be among the best backcourts in the nation. |
| 23 | Colorado | Tristan da Silva may be the best player in the Pac-12. KJ Simpson is another staple, and the additions of Lampkin and Williams will make this team versatile. |
| 24 | Baylor | A lot hinges on jumps made my developmental pieces. JTT will need to be more than he was last year after returning from injury. Dennis and Walter will need to be high-level contributors. |
| 25 | Alabama | The starting five should be solid if the transfer class hits. The bench is mostly unproven and will need to surprise. |
Overall Rationale
For preseason rankings, I place high value on player retention from teams that were good the previous year (see Purdue, Marquette, Michigan St, Texas A&M, FAU). I rank more highly those I think to be "proven commodities", and I let the higher-risk teams prove themselves to me once the season begins. Transfers are difficult to gauge, as fit and role can be very different from team to team. Thus I did not value big transfer splashes as highly as others may have.