Author: Jack Culberson
These rankings are pre-season rankings and they are based on performance from last year and roster quality. The rankings will change throughout the basketball season, and it will be interesting to see how the end of the season rankings compare to these. Throughout the season we will be at many games. We will start the season off by covering a lot of the games around the nation when the season starts on Monday.
Rankings:
1 - North Carolina: Last year’s March Madness runner up takes the number one spot for the pre-season rankings. The Tar Heels are returning four starters from their National Championship appearance team, Caleb Love, Armando Bacot(1st Team All-ACC), RJ Davis, and Leaky Black. The Freshman class includes four 4-star recruits and one 3-star recruit. It is clear why this is the number 1 team coming into the season.
2 - Gonzaga: Gonzaga finds themselves as number 2 to start the season. The Bulldog’s season came to an end in the Sweet 16 last year and they were disappointed. However, 3 players from that team, Drew Timme, Rasir Bolton, and Julian Strawther, are returning this season to try and win a Championship. This team signed 4-star Braden Huff, and signed transfers Malachi Smith and Efton Reid.
3 - Houston: The Houston Cougars are the number 3 ranked team in the nation. The Cougars lost in the Elite Eight of last year’s March Madness, but 3 starters from that team are returning for this season including the leading scorer Marcus Sasser. Houston’s recruiting class includes one 5-star and two 4-stars, but the team had no transfers.
4 - Kentucky: The Kentucky Wildcats are the number 4 ranked team in the nation. The Wildcat’s season in disappointing fashion last season as they were a top seed and lost in the first round of the tournament. Sahvir Wheeler, Jacob Toppin, CJ Frederick, Daimion Collins, Lance Ware, and the 2021-2022 Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe are all returning for this season. Kentucky signed two 5-star recruits, a 4-star, and a 3-star. They also signed transfer Antonio Reeves.
5 - Kansas: The reigning Champions, Kansas, are the number 5 ranked team in the nation. The Jayhawks are returning Jalen Wilson, Dajuan Harris, Joseph Yesufu, Zach Clemence, KJ Adams, and Bobby Petiford. Kansas signed one 5-star recruit and three 4-star recruits. Kansas also got transfer Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech.
6 - Baylor: The Baylor Bears are the number 6 team in the nation. The Bears got eliminated in the round of 32 in last year's March Madness. Flo Thamba, Dale Bonner, LJ Cryer, Jordan Turner, Langston Love, Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Zach Loveday, and Adam Flagler are all returning for Baylor. Baylor signed three recruits including a 5-star and a 3-star. They also signed two transfers.
7 - Duke: The Duke Blue Devils are the number 7 team in the nation. The Blue Devils made it to the Final Four last year but lost to North Carolina. Duke has only three returning players on their roster, Jaylen Blakes, Jeremy Roach, and Joey Baker. Duke signed the number 1 recruiting class with 7 recruits including four 5-stars, two 4-stars, and a 3-star. They also signed 3 recruits as well.
8 - UCLA: The UCLA Bruins are the number 8 team in the nation. The UCLA Bruins were eliminated in the Sweet 16 of last year's tournament. UCLA is bringing back Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from last season. They signed 4 recruits including two 5-stars and a 4-star. They did not get any transfers.
9 - Creighton: The Creighton Bluejays are the number 9 team in the nation. Creighton was eliminated in the Round of 32 in last year's March Madness. 5 of Creighton’s top 7 scorers are returning from last year, and they are pairing the returners with two 3-star recruits and another recruit as well as two transfers.
10 - Arkansas: The Arkansas Razorbacks are the number 10 team in the nation. Arkansas lost in the Elite Eight of March Madness last year. Arkansas was only able to bring back 4 players from last season. However, they were able to sign 7 recruits and they had the second best recruiting class in the country. They signed three 5-stars and three 4-stars, and they signed five transfers.
11 - Tennessee: The Tennessee Volunteers are the number 11 team in the nation. Tennessee lost in the round of 32 in last year's tournament. The Volunteers are returning 9 players from their SEC Championship team. Tennessee signed 4 recruits including a 5-star, two 4-stars, and a 3-star. They also signed a transfer.
12 - Texas: The Texas Longhorns are the number 12 team in the nation. Texas lost in the round of 32 in last year's tournament. The Longhorn’s are returning 5 key players from last year's team. They also had the third best recruiting class in the country including two 5-stars, a 4-star, and a 3-star. They also signed two very good transfers.
13 - Indiana: The Indiana Hoosiers are the number 13 team in the nation. Indiana lost in the round of 64 in last year's tournament. The Hoosiers were able to return 4 starters from last season as well as more people off the bench. To pair the returning players, they also signed 4 recruits including a 5-star, two 4-stars, and a 3-star. They did not sign any transfers.
14 - TCU: The TCU Horned Frogs are the number 14 team in the nation. TCU lost in the round of 32 in last year's tournament. TCU is returning 12 of their players from last season, and they signed a 3-star recruit as well as two transfers. We will be at their season opener on Monday November 7.
15 - Auburn: The Auburn Tigers are the number 15 team in the nation. Auburn lost in the round of 32 in last year’s tournament. Auburn lost 2 players to the NBA Draft, but they were able to bring back key players for this season. They were also able to sign 3 recruits including a 5-star, a 4-star, and a 3-star. They also signed a transfer.
16 - Villanova: The Villanova Wildcats are the number 16 team in the nation. Villanova lost in the Final Four of last year's tournament. Villanova lost some key players from their Final Four team, but they do have players returning. They also signed 3 recruits which included a 5-star and two 4-stars. They did not sign any transfers.
17 - Arizona: The Arizona Wildcats are the number 17 team in the nation. Arizona lost in the Sweet 16 of last year's tournament. Arizona had 3 players drafted, but some players returned for this season. Arizona signed 4 recruits including two 4-stars and two international players. They also signed two transfer players.
18 - Virginia: The Virginia Cavaliers are the number 18 team in the nation. The Cavaliers missed the tournament for the first time since 2013 last season. Multiple key players from their team last year are returning, and they signed four recruits and they are all 4-stars. They also signed a transfer.
19 - San Diego State: The San Diego State Aztecs are the number 19 team in the nation. The Aztecs were eliminated in the round of 64 in last year's tournament. San Diego State is returning four starters from last year and other players as well. They also signed two 3-star recruits, and two transfers as well.
20 - Alabama: The Alabama Crimson Tide are the number 20 team in the nation. The Crimson Tide lost in the round of 64 in last year's tournament. Alabama returned a decent number of players this season, and they had the 5th ranked recruiting class. They signed 5 recruits including two 5-stars, two 4-stars, and a 3-star. They also signed two transfers.
21 - Oregon: The Oregon Ducks are the number 21 team in the nation. The Ducks did not reach the tournament last year. Key players for Oregon returned this season, and they signed 3 recruits including a 5-star and a 3-star. They also got two transfers.
22 - Michigan: The Michigan Wolverines are the number 22 team in the nation. The Wolverines made it to the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament. Many key players on their team from last year are returning, and they signed 5 recruits including four 4-stars. They also signed a transfer.
23 - Illinois: The Illinois Fighting Illini are the number 23 team in the nation. Illinois lost in the round of 32 in last year's tournament. Illinois has key players returning to their team this year. They signed four recruits as well and they were all 4-stars. They also signed three transfers. We will be at Illinois's season opener on Monday as they play Eastern Illinois at home.
24 - Dayton: The Dayton Flyers are the number 24 team in the nation. Dayton just missed the NCAA tournament last season. Dayton returned their whole starting lineup, and they signed one recruit and he is a 4-star. They also signed a transfer as well.
25 - Texas Tech: The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the number 25 team in the nation. The Red Raiders lost in the Sweet 16 of last year’s tournament. Texas Tech lost a good amount of players in the transfer portal this offseason, but they had some players return. They also signed 4 recruits including three 4-stars and a 3-star. They also signed 5 players in the transfer portal.