Yoshi111599's Week Pre-Season Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | Houston is my #1, I think they were clearly a top 3 team last season alongside UConn and Purdue, and return more talent than either of them, LJ Cryer is my B12 POTY over Kansas' Hunter Dickinson too. |
| 2 | Duke | I'm surprised Duke is only #7 on the AP Poll, Cooper Flagg is the most hyped player in the country and he's surrounded by a few returners and some solid role player transfers. |
| 3 | Iowa State | The 4 players who played the most minutes all return, but no one else does, luckily bench production is much easier to replace than starter, watch out for UNI transfer Nate Heise as well. |
| 4 | Auburn | Many computer metrics love Auburn, the AP poll, not so much, I ultimately end up high on Auburn, I think they were a lot better last year than their record or seeding indicated. |
| 5 | UConn | UConn feels impossible to rank, they lost so much talent to the NBA, but retained Dan Hurley, all eyes are on Alex Karaban to start the year, hopefully surrounding pieces step up to support this rank. |
| 6 | Kansas | AP #1 and I just don't see it, They return a lot of top end talent, but that's not unique in the Big 12, I could definitely be wrong but I see more of a flawed 2 seed than a bonafide 1 seed. |
| 7 | Alabama | Bama is another team I just come out lower on, like Kansas they have a talented top end, namely Mark Sears, but I don't love the depth and they end up a bit lower than consensus for me |
| 8 | North Carolina | UNC is similar but exaggerated version the teams above them, RJ Davis is elite, and he is surrounded by talented freshmen and role player transfers, but the team is a little shallow at the top for me |
| 9 | Arizona | At this point in the poll, every team is flawed to some degree, but not every team has a PG like Caleb Love who I think will elevate this team. |
| 10 | Creighton | Ryan Kalkbrenner is dominant and Ashworth is very good too, but this team could look lost without Scheierman and Alexander, I'm going to bet on the team returning 2 of their best players to succeed. |
| 11 | Purdue | I am a Purdue fan, but I think #11 is very realistic for them, Edey was their identity, but they return a lot of surrounding talent, All eyes on Matt Painter now. |
| 12 | Tennessee | I really don't have much to say about Tennessee, a solid but deep roster that should remain competitive in the SEC but doesn't blow you away |
| 13 | Gonzaga | I love the Nembhard Ike connection, and am a fan of Colgate Transfer Smith as depth, but am surprised to see them at 6 in the AP, I can't get quite that high in the preseason on the Zags |
| 14 | Baylor | Lot of turnover at Baylor, now led by Duke transfer Roach and Fr Edgecombe, returning Love and Nunn to make their "big 4." I just don't think it quite stacks up to some of the teams above them. |
| 15 | Texas A&M | A&M returns some key pieces of last years team and fills out the rest with transfers and freshman, Wade Taylor should lead this team back to the NCAA tournament with ease |
| 16 | Texas | Texas is led by 5 transfers and 5* Tre Johnson, this team has very high variance, but I trust Kaluma to lead this team, and a few role players stuck around from last year, my gut says that it works |
| 17 | St. John's | Pitino's squad is also transfer heavy but Kadary Richmond, coming over from BE Rival Seton Hall is a difference maker |
| 18 | Cincinnati | Not the most exciting team but return a lot of talent, and add 2 quality transfers to the mix too, could be a dark horse B12 contender or end up below .500 in conference, thats the B12 this year... |
| 19 | Marquette | Kolek might have been their identity last year, but almost the entire supporting cast comes back, I think they'll take care of inferior teams but may not be able to hit above their weight as much |
| 20 | Texas Tech | Solid all-around roster of contributors and similar level transfer players, no star on paper but if someone steps up they could be dangerous |
| 21 | BYU | My 7th, and final B12 team, BYU was a hard team to rank last year and that follows this year. I have no idea what to expect from Dawson Baker's return |
| 22 | Illinois | A surprise omission from the AP poll, Illinois is my best of the rest in the Big 10, they are very unproven but should be a talented bunch. |
| 23 | Mississippi State | State's has 2 players, Hubbard and Clary under 6 foot and they might be their 2 best players, if they can mesh together and keep up defensively I really believe in this team |
| 24 | UCLA | Probably my biggest riser from last year, I just like this roster, they bring back 3 key contributors and fill the rest with impact transfers |
| 25 | Michigan State | Michigan State is a team people couldn't agree on last year, and that reigns true this preseason, I ultimately put them at 25 but they could've really gone about anywhere, I trust Izzo enough |
Overall Rationale
I first want to recognize Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Rutgers as teams in the AP top 25 who did not make my ranking. Kentucky, Florida and Ole Miss were right on the cusp, Arkansas I don't think is very close and is being propped up by Calipari hype, Rutgers needs to prove the 2 freshmen can lead the team before I raise them up, and Indiana I'm just surprised to see get so much love, I really did not consider them but after looking at their roster again I see a lot of quality pieces who could prove me wrong. As a whole, preseason is tough, none of us really know anything yet, injuries will happen, some freshman/transfers won't work out and some players I've never heard of will come out and dominate. That's why I tend to favor deeper teams in the preseason. I also want to say I feel like Saint Mary's will end up here, but I left them out this time.