Kansas Headlines Top 25 Rankings
The 2023-24 college hoops season is about to get underway after an exhilarating offseason. The transfer portal was oozing with talent, and we are set to see plenty of new faces in new places. So without further ado, these are my preseason college hoops top 25 rankings.
1. Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas is the clear favorite to win the national championship coming into 2024. Highlighted by their returning 3 of their top 5 scorers from a season ago, bringing in the #1 transfer Hunter Dickinson from Michigan, and 4 top 100 recruits, mainly the addition of Elmarko Jackson (#4 SG in class), the Jayhawks enter as the team to beat.
2. Purdue Boilermakers
Although upset by a 16-seed as the #1 overall seed a season ago, I can’t deny this team has only gotten better. Bringing back reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey, their backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, and 7 of their top 9 scorers back, I don’t see how this team doesn’t get better.
3. Duke Blue Devils
Jon Scheyer has done quite the recruiting job since he took the keys in Durham. Getting 5 of his top 7 scorers back from a season ago, bringing in the #2 recruiting class in the country, and returning four starters, is not the Duke basketball we are used to seeing with so much experience. Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor both enter their sophomore campaigns on All-American watch.
4.UConn Huskies
The reigning national champs are bringing back 3 of their top 5 scorers from last year, the #4 ranked recruiting class showcased by Stephon Castle (#2 SG in class), and Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer, a very streaky but underrated shooter. Look for Donovan Clingan to break out into one of the best big men in college hoops.
5. Michigan State Spartans
Tom Izzo was able to bring back his star-studded backcourt of Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard, along with 4 of their top 5 scorers from last year. They also bring in 5-star center Xavier Booker to hopefully be a consistently reliable big man, something Sparty didn’t really have last year.
6. Marquette Golden Eagles
Shaka Smart brings his phenomenal backcourt of Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones, along with 5 of their top 6 scorers from last season. This squad changed very little from last year, and coming off a 2-seed bid in the NCAA Tournament, they are a sneaky championship contender.
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
Eric Musselman thrives off his transfers, and he is bringing in the #6 ranked transfer class to replace their top three scorers who departed this offseason. They are bringing back veteran wing Devo Davis, and Trevon Brazile is coming back from a season-ending torn ACL that kept him out most of last season.
8. Houston Cougars
I can’t wait to see Kelvin Sampson’s team in its first year in the Big 12. They are bringing back their 3rd, 4th, and 5th leading scorers from last year, and two top transfers in Damien Dunn and LJ Cryer.
9. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Mark Few is bringing back his frontcourt piece Anton Watson, and I’m also really excited to see Ben Gregg get some increased minutes down low. The Bulldogs also bring in some great transfers, like Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard, younger brother of former Bulldog Andrew Nembhard.
10. Arizona Wildcats
Oumar Ballo is going to be a force to be reckoned with down low this year for Tommy Lloyd, and they also bring back experienced vet Pelle Larsson. The transfers they bring in have tons of potential, like Jaden Bradley and Caleb Love, but need to display a lot more consistency if this team wants to compete for a title.
11. Alabama Crimson Tide
Nate Oats brings in the #5 ranked transfer class, headlined by guard Aaron Estrada and forward Grant Nelson. They also landed top-50 prospect PF Jarin Stevenson.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
3 of the top 5 scorers return on a very experienced Vols team. They also sit with a top-20 recruiting class and a high-end transfer heading to Knoxville in Dalton Knecht.
13. Creighton Bluejays
The Bluejays bring back their top 3 scorers from last season, including Baylor Scheierman, who might be the best shooter in the Big East, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, who might be the best big man in the Big East. They also got high-end transfer Steven Ashworth.
14. North Carolina Tar Heels
They not only return 2 of their top 5 scorers from a season ago, but probably their two most important players in RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. They are also bringing in four major transfers, and I’m mostly looking forward to Harrison Ingram’s performance after an up-and-down first two seasons at Stanford. Look out for second-year guys like Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington to impact a lot more this year.
15. Texas A&M Aggies
Buzz Williams brings back his star-studded backcourt of Wade Taylor IV (Preseason SEC Player of the Year) and Tyrece Radford. The team also kept veteran glue guys such as Henry Coleman III and Julius Marble.
16. Kentucky Wildcats
The Cats sit with the #1 recruiting class in the country, with 3 of the top 6 nationally ranked prospects heading to Lexington. John Calipari also landed high-end transfer Tre Mitchell and was able to keep 1 of his top 5 scorers in an excellent shooter, Antonio Reeves.
17. San Diego State Aztecs
SDSU brings back 3 of its top 5 scorers from a Final Four team a season ago, and also lands a very talented transfer wing in Reese Dixon-Waters.
18. Illinois Fighting Illini
3 of the top 5 scorers for Brad Underwood are returning to Champaign, including the team’s best player in Terrence Shannon Jr. They also add depth with the addition of transfer wing Quincy Guerrier.
19. Texas Longhorns
I really wanted to have Texas higher than #19, but there are just too many question marks. I’m not totally sold on Max Abmas transferring his prolific scoring abilities to the Big 12, probably the best conference in college basketball, in the blink of an eye. But, I’m super excited to see Tyrese Hunter be able to play off the ball more, as he showed last season he played much better when Marcus Carr was the primary ball handler. Rodney Terry is bringing back his 4th and 5th leading scorers from a season ago.
20. Baylor Bears
Scott Drew’s team sits as one of my sneaky national championship contenders. First, they get their primary big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua back from injury that sidelined him last season, and bring in the #1 SG prospect in the nation in Ja’Kobe Walter. A guy to follow on this Bears squad this year is Langston Love, former top-30 high school prospect who has dealt with a myriad of injuries during his time in Waco.
21. Villanova Wildcats
Kyle Neptune reeled in a lot of great transfers despite a pretty suspect first year as the Wildcats’ head coach. He brings in the #4 ranked transfer class along with 2 of his top 5 scorers from a season ago. There’s also a couple older guys on this team I’m waiting to see burst onto the scene, such as Jordan Longino and Trey Patterson.
22. USC Trojans
#1 high school prospect Isaiah Collier will be suiting up for the Trojans this year as part of the #3 nationally ranked recruiting class. We hope Bronny James can suit up for USC this year after undergoing a sudden cardiac arrest earlier in the offseason. PG Boogie Ellis is also back, the team’s best player.
23. Florida Atlantic Owls
This is lower than most networks have FAU ranked, but I always have a tough time buying into putting a team that was a low seed in the NCAA Tournament but went on a magical run super high in my rankings. But, a Final Four team from a season ago bringing back 4 of its top 5 scorers has to be on here somewhere.
24. Miami Hurricanes
Another Final Four team from last season, Jim Larrañaga brings back 3 of his top 5 scorers from last season, and an exciting transfer in Matthew Cleveland from Florida State.
25. St. John’s Red Storm
In Rick Pitino’s first year in The Bronx, the Red Storm might be the most intriguing team in the country this season. Besides landing the #7 recruiting class, they were also able to switch New Jersey native and 4-star recruit Simeon Wilcher’s commitment from North Carolina to come play for the Johnnies.
*all statistics taken from 247sports.com*
