As long as they can step up defensively, they’re going all the way
2
Houston
Opposite of Bama, if they can step up offensively, they’ll be in great shape.
3
Duke
Cooper Flagg better be as advertised for Duke to be good…and I think he will be.
4
North Carolina
I’m high on UNC, this year could be their return to glory.
5
Gonzaga
They returned a lot of their key pieces from last year where they peaked at the right time, they’re gonna be good.
6
Iowa State
It’s impressive what Otz has done for ISU, feel like they could take another jump this year.
7
Kansas
I’ve had a feeling all offseason that everyone was overrating KU, healthy or not. Still think they’ll end up being solid though.
8
Tennessee
Tennessee didn’t make much noise over the offseason besides getting Chaz Lanier, but they’re gonna be pretty solid.
9
UConn
Don’t think Hurley will earn the 3-peat but you can’t count out UConn, even if this is a weaker roster than the last couple years.
10
Auburn
This Auburn team has the potential to be even better than last year
11
Baylor
Solid as ever, Baylor’s gonna be a contender again, especially since they pulled VJ Edgecombe
12
Arizona
Not much to say about Arizona. Caleb Love is back, so they’re definitely gonna be exciting to watch.
13
Arkansas
Impressive debut for Cal’s new era against KU. Arky is gonna surprise some people.
14
Creighton
Ashworth and Kalkbrenner are gonna carry this team, good thing they’re really freaking good.
15
Kentucky
I’m not fully sold on Pope’s team yet but they are a blast to watch, just hope their offense translates well in a deep SEC.
16
Purdue
Purdue replaced Zach Edey with a younger version of him. I’m tempering expectations for now but they could easily jump to the top of the B10 before the year’s out.
17
Texas A&M
If this team can just play consistently good, they’ll get the respect that they deserve. Wade Taylor is a baller.
18
Illinois
Illinois brings a good recruiting class and some solid pickups from the portal, feel like they won’t be too far off of where they were last year.
19
Marquette
The post Kolek-Ighodaro era begins, I trust Shaka to at least put together a solid regular season.
20
Florida
These guys have the tallest player in the history of college basketball on their team, that alone gets them in the top 25. Returning Walter Clayton puts them in the top 20.
21
St. John's
I was impressed with Pitino’s squad when they beat Rutgers.
22
Ohio State
I’m pretty high on Diebler. Between keeping some key pieces and replacing some with some good portal pickups (shoutout Aaron Bradshaw), I think this team will turn things around for OSU in a big way.
23
Mississippi State
They’re gonna be missing Tolu Smith pretty badly but I think the Bulldogs will be squarely in the A-/B+ tier of the SEC.
24
Michigan State
Definitely keeping my expectations low for the Spartans, but they’ll at the very least make it to the second weekend because Izzo is the master of March.
25
UCLA
UCLA underwent a full overhaul over the offseason and I think it’ll pay off.
