MetaKoopa99's Ballot for Preseason of 2019-20
Submitted on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 2:01PM EDT
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Michigan State
|
The best player in the country returns (Winston) as do other big contributors (Langford, Tillman). The Spartans are the preseason favorite. |
| 2 |
Kansas
|
Forget all the Adidas drama for now. Doston and Azubuike make quite a duo. De Sousa is back too. The Big 12 refuses to change. |
| 3 |
Kentucky
|
Great recruiting class, great player returning in Hagans. Florida will give them problems, but the Wildcats are the SEC favorite right now. |
| 4 |
Duke
|
Jones returns looking to improve, and the Blue Devils bring in yet another great recruiting class. Not surprising in the least. |
| 5 |
Louisville
|
Didn't lose much and (most importantly) kept Nwora, who is a beast. Solid transfer with Kimble as well. Louisville's return to form. |
| 6 |
Florida
|
Blackshear was one of the best players in the country at VT. Now he has a better supporting cast. The Gators fight UK for the SEC crown. |
| 7 |
Gonzaga
|
Hachimura, Clarke, Norvell and Perkins all leaving hurts, but the Zags return Kispert, Tillie, and Petrusev. They dominate the WCC again. |
| 8 |
Maryland
|
Cowan and Smith will make for one hell of a duo. Probably the Terrapins' greatest preseason expectations in a long, long time. |
| 9 |
Villanova
|
Even with Paschall and Booth leaving, Nova is always in good hands with Jay Wright. Two top 20 recruits help the wounds a bit too. |
| 10 |
North Carolina
|
Lost most of last year's key pieces but also brought in some excellent transfers and the No. 4 recruit. Always a contender in the ACC. |
| 11 |
Texas Tech
|
Culver and Mooney are gone but Moretti and VT transfer Clarke should fill those roles nicely. TTU is KU's fiercest Big 12 competition. |
| 12 |
Virginia
|
Give some respect to the champs. They lost 80% of their top contributors, but Clark and Diakite should step up big-time. Also, Tony Bennett. |
| 13 |
Ohio State
|
The Wessons are back. That really should be enough, really. Holtmann is a damn fine coach, and the Buckeyes are a top-tier B1G team. |
| 14 |
Oregon
|
Look for Pritchard to finally take the leap that many thought he would take last season. Also look for Richardson to step up. |
| 15 |
Memphis
|
What a recruiting class for Penny: Wiseman, Achiuwa, Ellis, etc. Lots of reasons to be excited for basketball in Memphis right now. |
| 16 |
Baylor
|
Clark is going to be one of the Big 12's best players. Not much in terms of recruiting here, but also didn't lose too many key pieces. |
| 17 |
Seton Hall
|
Buy in on the Seton Hall hype. Powell is the truth. Cale and McKnight don't make for a bad supporting cast either. Should be a fun season. |
| 18 |
Utah State
|
With Martin brothers gone, Merrill takes over as the best player in the Mountain West. Queta also averaged over 10 PPG last season. |
| 19 |
Saint Mary's
|
Like the above entry, the loss of Gonzaga's stars makes Ford the best player in the WCC. Can the Gaels overcome the Zags? It'll be tough. |
| 20 |
Xavier
|
Didn't lose much and all star returners averaged 10+ PPG last season. Everyone should take a big leap this year, including coach Steele. |
| 21 |
Washington
|
Interesting situation for the Huskies. Lost Nowell, Dickerson and Thybulle but also added two top 10 recruits. How will that youth play out? |
| 22 |
VCU
|
Looking like the A10 favorite early on. Really didn't lose much. Could be this year's Buffalo and climb the ranks as a mid-major. |
| 23 |
Marquette
|
Markus Howard is all you need to know. It's going to fun watching him and Powell compete for player of the year in the Big East. |
| 24 |
Florida State
|
Shouldn't have been left off the AP preseason poll. Hamilton is one of the ACC's finest coaches. FSU could make another deep run. |
| 25 |
Harvard
|
I'll give a good mid-major some love at 25. The Crimson could bust some brackets. Next 5: Arizona, Purdue, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee |