falconlover79's Ballot for Preseason of 2021-22
Submitted on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 10:11PM EDT
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Gonzaga
|
#1 and it's not even close. Timme and Holmgren will be impossible to stop, especially for WCC teams. |
| 2 |
Kansas
|
This roster is unbelievably stacked. 6 starter-caliber players with a deep bench - including a 25 PPG scorer at D2 and a nice freshman class |
| 3 |
Michigan
|
Juwan Howard has a deep pool of talented bigs to coach up, plus a stud transfer in DeVante Jones. This team's ceiling is higher than 2020/21 |
| 4 |
Villanova
|
I put trust into Jay Wright and Collin Gillespie, but I do worry about the depth of this team. They're still a near lock to win the Big East |
| 5 |
Purdue
|
The best sophomore class in the country joins Trevion Williams as the Boilermakers should have their best team since at least the Hummel era |
| 6 |
Kentucky
|
I'm usually (justifiably) low on Kentucky in the pre-season but this year is different. Cal has bolstered his roster with quality transfers. |
| 7 |
Houston
|
Don't doubt Kelvin Sampson. Edwards and Sasser make up one of the best backcourt duos in the country, and the frontcourt has nice upside. |
| 8 |
Baylor
|
The dropoff won't be as bad as most would expect. Akinjo is a huge addition and last year's bench is ready to ascend to the starting lineup. |
| 9 |
Tennessee
|
Last year's Vols squad underperformed in conference but they flashed at times. I think Justin Powell and a well-rounded freshman class helps |
| 10 |
Florida State
|
Don't doubt Leonard Hamilton. Caleb Mills and Cam'Ron Fletcher are big adds to a roster with an army of seniors with 5+ years in this system |
| 11 |
Texas
|
I know, this is very low. I like a lot of the players on this roster and I love the coach, I just see FAR too many mouths to feed |
| 12 |
Oregon
|
Quincy Guerrier could be a stud under Altman's coaching, and the Ducks have a trio of high-ceiling bigs to throw at the Pac 12. |
| 13 |
Ohio State
|
Friendly reminder that this team was 1-3 without Kyle Young last year. Hot take: Wheeler/Russell > Walker/Washington by the end of the year. |
| 14 |
Alabama
|
Injuries have knocked them down a bit but Nate Oats has a solid group of players who absolutely will not shoot any long-range twos. |
| 15 |
UCLA
|
The tournament run was very fun to watch, the regular season... not so much. Need to see more of the former for the Bruins to climb. |
| 16 |
Duke
|
Banchero and Mark Williams are a tough frontcourt duo to beat. Duke needs the guards to step up in order to see a 1 or 2 seed come March. |
| 17 |
Memphis
|
The 2019-20 Memphis vibes are back. Let's hope Bates and Duren do better than Wiseman and Achiuwa. Depth is noticeably better, however. |
| 18 |
Illinois
|
Curbelo and Kofi will be about as fun as Ayo and Kofi were. I'm not as high on the remaining roster as others are, even with all the seniors |
| 19 |
Arkansas
|
It'll be interesting to see if these transfers mesh as well as they did last year. The talent is there, it's on Muss to keep the wheels on. |
| 20 |
St. Bonaventure
|
Imagine if last year's team had a bench (and imagine if they made shots against LSU). This team's ceiling is much higher than many think. |
| 21 |
Oklahoma State
|
Cade may be gone, but literally the rest of the team is back. Avery Anderson played almost as well as Cade in Feb/March last season. |
| 22 |
San Diego State
|
I'm happy that Matt Bradley is finally playing for a decent team, he will be the star that leads the Aztecs to another MWC title. |
| 23 |
Virginia Tech
|
I love the coach and the starting five enough to be contenders for the ACC. That said, the depth is practically non-existent. |
| 24 |
Maryland
|
These final two teams both have very high potential, Maryland has more talent but it's hard to sleep on a Mark Pope-coached team. |
| 25 |
BYU
|
Next 15: Michigan State, UNC, Miss St, LSU, St. John's, Indiana, Drake, Louisville, Seton Hall, Auburn, Richmond, WVU, UConn, UVA, TTU |