Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Gonzaga | Gonzaga has all the pieces to win a championship. Should be the team with the best record come March. |
2 | Baylor | Baylor gets most of their guys back from last season, and should be just as good if not better this season. |
3 | Villanova | Villanova looks to be in a great spot right now, and will probably win at least a share of the BE title again. |
4 | Virginia | UVA's defense was the best last season, but their offense was bad, now they return those defensive guys while still adding offensive ones. |
5 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin ended hot last year, they can survive star-less, and this should be a great season for them. |
6 | Creighton | Maybe this is a bit high, but I still think Creighton will be a great team. Their players will step up where they need to. |
7 | Illinois | Illinois is going to be a very good team. They return their best players to team that was already great last season. |
8 | Kansas | Kansas may have a few questions, but those will be figured out quickly, they always do. |
9 | Iowa | Iowa is going to be a offensive force, with Luka Garza leading the way. |
10 | Kentucky | Kentucky's newcomers are looking great on-paper. |
11 | Tennessee | Tennessee wasn't great last season but they bring back four starters while adding some great talent. |
12 | Duke | Duke is relying a newcomers, and former five-stars still on the roster are poised for sophomore jumps. |
13 | Michigan State | Michigan St. lost a lot but gained a lot, but what is consistent is the talent and depth of the roster. |
14 | Texas Tech | TTU has a more balanced roster this year around and should be a better team as a result. |
15 | Arizona State | ASU is going to be a fun team to watch, with an offense that explosive. |
16 | West Virginia | WVU was up-and-down last season but returns four starters and look to become consistently up. |
17 | UCLA | UCLA was one of the hottest teams to end last season and they return all five starters. |
18 | Rutgers | Rutgers enters a sports season with expectations, and they have the talent to deliver on those. |
19 | Houston | Houston's going to be the AAC team to beat, even if some questions about them are there. |
20 | Florida State | Yes FSU lost a lot but based on their recent consistent success an extreme drop is unlikely. |
21 | Oregon | Oregon looks to be the Pac-12 favorites, but might have some consistency trouble. |
22 | North Carolina | UNC is a hard team to figure out sure, but there is no way this team will be even close to as bad as last season's. |
23 | Michigan | Michigan should look for another good season, and could be a lot better than 23rd. |
24 | Richmond | Richmond will look to be the best mid-major team- bar Gonzaga and the AAC. |
25 | Texas | Texas brings back all of their starters and adds a top-10 recruit, but can Shaka really, finally, make it happen? |