College basketball’s 25 best men’s teams, ranked and previewed by our experts

Yes, the college basketball season has officially began and we are gearing up for what should be another interesting year of new young talent, some notable returning veteran players and a chance for a variety of teams to make it to Arizona for this season’s Final Four.

The Kansas Jayhawks enter this season ranked No. 1 in AP’s preseason poll, followed by Duke and Purdue. But as we have seen in previous NCAA tournaments, anything can happen in March.

At the start of the new season, we’ve enlisted the experts from our SB Nation team communities to help preview the top-25 coming into the year. Here’s what you need to know about this season’s top teams.

No. 25: Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois is probably already much better than the No. 25 team in the country, but that’s where the voters put them early on, so that’s where they are. But fans are already getting their hopes up for a big season after the Illini took down No. 1 Kansas in a Maui Strong exhibition in late October.

This is the most complete Illinois team since the No. 1 seeded group in 2021 — and we all know how that season ended (we don’t say that school’s name anymore). You could even make the argument that this team is better than that one, with so much veteran leadership.

The Illini will likely start a lineup that includes four players who are in either their fourth or fifth year in college, led by Terrence Shannon Jr., who returned to Illinois instead of likely being undrafted. Shannon and Coleman Hawkins provide a deep 1-2 punch for Illinois.

The biggest question mark is point guard, but Brad Underwood feels good about rolling with Ty Rodgers and using a combination of Marcus Domask, Shannon, Justin Harmon, and a few freshmen to get the ball up. A lot of early season tests for Illinois, but this could certainly be a top-10 team come March. — Stephen Cohn, The Champaign Room, @stephen__cohn

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide

Coach Nate Oats begins his 5th season at Alabama, coming off of both SEC regular season and tournament championships. For the second year in a row Oats had to almost totally rebuild his roster, and this time had to replace all three assistant coaches, all of whom got head coaching jobs.

Returning to the Tide this year are Mark Sears, Nick Pringle, Rylan Griffen, and Davis Cosby. Sears was a starter last season and the second leading scorer on the team at 12.8 ppg. Pringle and Griffen were role players that will need to carry a heavier load this year. Cosby reclassified and enrolled in January, but never saw action. The newcomers are led by four transfers, the headliner being 6’11’’ Grant Nelson from North Dakota State. Nelson will make an immediate impact and will be used inside and outside. Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada is a 6’3” combo guard that averaged over 20 points a game last season. Mohamed Wague brings his 6’10’ frame to the Capstone from West Virginia and will add rebounding, defense, and toughness. Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. is a tough, defensive minded, guard standing 6’3” that comes from Cal State Fullerton.

The freshman class will play a big part as well. Jarin Stevenson reclassified and comes in as a 6’11’ Noah Clowney clone, even down to wearing the same number. Sam Walters is a 6’10” shooting guard/small forward that has been lighting up the scoreboard from three point territory in preseason play. Mouhamed Dioubate is 6’7” power forward and Kris Parker a 6’9” guard round out the incoming freshman class.

Oats never shies away from anyone, and once again the Tide will have a challenging schedule that includes Ohio State, Clemson, Creighton, and Arizona prior to the grueling SEC slate.

The projected lineup is Sears, Estrada, Nelson, Pringle, and Griffen, but with several interchangeable parts Oats can mix and match depending on opponents and situations. Look for another exciting season in Tuscaloosa. — Roger Myers, Roll Bama Roll, @rogerpatmyers

No. 23 Saint Mary’s Gaels

The Gaels have consistently been one of the top mid-majors in the country for a long time. They claimed a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title last season and split with rival Gonzaga. This year, SMC was tabbed as the favorite in the WCC. It is the first time since 2017-18 that the Gaels received that recognition.

Freshman standout Aidan Mahaney took the nation by storm last season with his 18-point performance in an overtime win against Gonzaga. All but two of his points came in the final seven minutes of regulation and overtime.

He is the top returning scorer with 13.9 point per game while shooting 40% from 3-point land last season. He also distributed 2 assists a night.

He is one of three returning starters for Randy Bennett’s squad along with First-Team All-WCC selection Mitchell Saxen and Alex Ducas, who was named Honorable Mention All-WCC. Ducas poured in 12.5 points per contest. Saxen tallied 11.6 points and 7.6 boards a game. — Ian Sacks, Mid-Major Madness, @ianrsacks

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

No. 22 Villanova Wildcats

A new season, a fresh start, and plenty of new faces and names to know – the Villanova Wildcats are ready to tip off the new season and turn the page after a frustrating up-and-down season that ultimately ended with an opening round loss in the NIT.

Coach Kyle Neptune and his team have been hard at work this offseason, and they’ve also been busy assembling Villanova’s new-look roster, which includes five new players, including four transfers – Tyler Burton, Hakim Hart, Lance Ware and T.J. Bamba – the most in Wildcat history.

While there are many new changes, Neptune hasn’t changed the program’s philosophy or recruiting approach.

“I think for a long time here at Villanova, we have prided ourselves on having a good culture, and one thing we do during the recruiting process is educate each person on what the culture is so they hopefully choose us for us,” Neptune said.

Since four out of the five new transfers are seasoned stars and are used to being the frontrunners and leading men on their previous teams, fans are wondering how they will mesh with Villanova’s long-time superstars.

Villanova’s basketball program has always prided itself on preaching the importance of having a positive attitude and being a competitive team player, which were important traits to look out for during the recruiting process, Neptune says. — From Madison O’Leary, VU Hoops

No. 21 Southern California Trojans

USC checks a lot of boxes for a team that can make a deep NCAA tournament: the Trojans return major veteran talent in the backcourt and on the wing, they add perhaps the best freshman in college basketball, and they have some enticing depth in the front court.

Boogie Ellis could be ready to step into the spotlight as one of the top guards in college basketball this season. The 6’3 junior is an electric scorer off the dribble with deep shooting range. Kobe Johnson, a 6’5 wing, is the sort of athletic 3-and-D wing every team craves, and he could take another step after a breakout sophomore season a year ago.

The freshmen make this team really exciting. There is of course Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, who was slated to be a major contributor before collapsing due to a heart defect in the offseason. His return to play is TBD at the moment. Isaiah Collier is the true star of the recruiting class. Collier is a brilliant playmaker at point guard, and a potential top-five pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. If USC can figure out the front court between Josh Morgan, Vincent Iwuchukwu, and Kijani Wright, there’s a lot to like about the fit of this roster. — Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation, @SBN_Ricky

No. 20 Baylor

Our Daily Bears broke down each position for the Bears this upcoming season.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels

After last year’s catastrophe, Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels had to hit the reset button going into the 2023-24 season. Seven players from last year’s team, including 2022 Final Four hero Caleb Love, have left the program, which means Davis has a lot of new pieces. The transfer portal played a big role in Davis’ rebuild, adding guys like Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram, Paxson Wojcik, Jae’Lyn Withers, and James Okonkwo. Each of these players bring something to the table that checks off UNC’s needs list, and things only look better when factoring in reclassified freshman Elliot Cadeau and true freshman Zayden High.

Then of course there are the two Carolina stars, RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. From everything we have heard, both players are 100% healthy after dealing with frustrating injuries last season. It really feels like Hubert Davis has everything he needs to get back to the Final Four, but it will still be an uphill climb to do so.

Can a team with this many new players really gel before March? Will Elliot Cadeau have too many issues adjusting to college to be an effective point guard? Finally, has Hubert Davis figured out where things went wrong last year, or is he doomed to repeat mistakes from a year ago? This is a team with a high ceiling, but where the floor is located is anybody’s guess. Let’s just hope that the floor isn’t missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in a row. — Brandon Anderson, Tar Heel Blog, @THBBrandon

No. 18 Texas Longhorns

Coming off the Texas basketball program’s first Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearances since 2008, former longtime assistant and interim head coach Rodney Terry enters his first season as the Longhorns head coach with a new-look roster that features five transfers and two high school signees. The expectations for the 2023-24 team read as reasonable — Texas is ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll and picked third in the Big 12 — given the returns of junior guard Tyrese Hunter, senior forward Dylan Disu, and sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell and the additions of Oral Roberts senior transfer guard Max Abmas, the NCAA’s leading active scorer, UCF transfer guard Ithiel Horton, and Virginia transfer forward Kaden Shedrick.

Disu (foot) and Shedrick (shoulder) are both working their way back from injuries with Shedrick closer to a return, sapping Texas of its most quality frontcourt depth. Fortunately for Terry, the non-conference schedule is manageable, affording both time to get healthy ahead of a typically-challenging Big 12 slate. Until they return, the Longhorns will focus on scoring in transition and ball and player movement in the halfcourt without the team’s two best pick-and-roll threats, but defensive rebounding is a looming short-term concern.

When healthy, Texas boasts an experienced and athletic group with high defensive upside and the potential to make another run in the NCAA tournament as Terry tries to answer the looming questions over his head-coaching tenure on the Forty Acres — can he effectively build rosters and culture at the high-major level and is he a better head coach than a career record barely over .500 at Fresno State and UTEP indicates? — Wescott Eberts, Burnt Orange Nation, @SBN_Wescott

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 17 San Diego State Aztecs

In case you might have missed, San Diego State was last year’s national champion runner-up—just like we all predicted. The Aztecs did lose All-Mountain West honorees Matt Mitchell and Nathan Mensah to graduation, in addition to three other rotation players. But they subsequently reloaded with transfers Reese Waters (USC) and Jay Pal (Campbell), and are the favorites to make it out of the Mountain West yet again.

San Diego State boasts less experience than last year’s squad, but they return Darrion Trammell, who improved as a pure point guard last season, as well as the Mountain West preseason defensive player of the year Lamont Butler, in the backcourt. This squad projects to be a top-75 offense and a top-30 defense under Brian Dutcher, one of the best mid-major head coaches in America. This group also projects to have more spacing with LeDee manning the 5 instead of Nathan Mensah, but will the efficiency rise to the occasion? That remains to be seen. — Matt Hanifan, Mountain West Connection, @mph_824_

No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats

After several years of veteran-heavy teams, John Calipari is back to the freshmen-heavy approach. As many as six freshmen will be in the top nine of the rotation, highlighted by top-10 recruits Aaron Bradshaw, DJ Wagner, and Justin Edwards. Wagner and Edwards should be one of the most fun duos to watch this year and be first-round NBA Draft picks next June.

Unfortunately, Kentucky is dealing with a variety of issues in the frontcourt, as Bradshaw and sophomore center Ugonna Onyenso are still recovering from foot surgery, while international prospect Zvonimir Ivisic is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA.

The good news is Kentucky was able to land West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell this offseason. He’s been better than advertised thus far for the Cats and may not only be one of their best three-point shooters but also end up being one of the best shooting big men in America.

Speaking of shooting, Antonio Reeves is back for a final year after hitting 39%+ from deep in his last two seasons and earning Co-SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors.

Perhaps the biggest addition was long-time NBA assistant John Welch, who is now helping run the Kentucky offense as John Calipari looks like he’s finally moving from his archaic approach and playing with tempo while shooting more threes.

If the frontcourt can get healthy and the freshmen live up to the hype, this could be Kentucky’s best team since the 2019-20 club that looked prime for a deep postseason run before COVID-19 happened. — Jason Marcum, A Sea of Blue, @marcum89

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M basketball program enters the new season with a roster primed for success — headlined by junior point guard Wade Taylor IV. Named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Taylor looks to build on an impressive resume that includes first-team All-SEC honors and stats that ranked him among the conference’s best in scoring, assists, steals, and various advanced metrics. His leadership as the catalyst for the Aggies is irreplaceable.

Graduate guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford returns for his final season, bringing his trademark hustle to the floor. After earning second-team All-SEC honors, he is the team’s heart and soul, especially with the departure of Andre Gordon. Senior forward Julius Marble, who is currently sidelined due to a “university process,” is an essential piece whose presence would be sorely missed. His ability to create space and score inside has been a key component of the Aggies’ offense. Senior forward Henry Coleman III offers a complementary skill set to Marble with his agility and offensive versatility, and the team will lean on him to step up in light of Dexter Dennis’s graduation. Junior guard Manny Obaseki has potential to be a breakout player — his athleticism and scoring prowess expected to shine through this season after overcoming last year’s injury woes. Senior guard Hayden Hefner’s sharpshooting will be crucial for an A&M team looking to enhance its perimeter scoring, while sophomore forward Solomon Washington’s athleticism makes him a promising talent. Lastly, senior forward Andersson Garcia is the unsung hero whose contributions don’t always reflect in the stats but are vital to the team’s success.

Overall, the Aggies are equipped with a balanced mix of proven veterans and emerging talents, setting the stage for a compelling season where surpassing last year’s performance is a realistic goal. — pmotftac07, Good Bull Hunting, @pmotftac07

No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas has quietly become one of the most consistent men’s college basketball programs in the country under head coach Eric Musselman. The Razorbacks haven’t broken into the Final Four yet, but can count two Elite Elite runs and one Sweet 16 trip over the last three years. Musselman has remade the roster over the offseason again after four players from last year’s team jumped to the NBA, but another huge haul on the transfer market should have this team primed to compete deep into March.

The big returners are guard Davonte “Devo” Davis and big man Trevon Brazile, whose promising season was cut short by an ACL tear last year. This year’s transfer class is led by lockdown defender Tramon Mark (via Houston), shot-making wing Khalif Battle (via Temple), and long-and-athletic forward Chandler Lawson (via Memphis). Musselman might not have a true point guard this year, but he has a ton of defense, rebounding, and depth, which has proven to be a winning formula for him in the past. It could take some time for the Razorbacks to figure out how to optimize their lineups with so much new talent on the roster, but at this point you can trust Musselman to eventually figure out a winning formula. — Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation, @SBN_Ricky

Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Miami (FL)

The Miami Hurricanes, for the first time in its program history, will be looking to get BACK to the Final Four after reaching basketball’s sacred ground in March. The challenge will be to do it without two of its best players from last year’s team in G/F Jordan Miller and G Isaiah Wong. However, Jim Larranaga went out and landed one of the top players in the transfer portal to help fill that void in Matthew Cleveland. The former Florida State Seminole tormented the Canes in February with a game-winning 30-foot heave in Coral Gables. Now the versatile wing will be looking to help the Canes return the favor against FSU and the rest of the ACC.

Miami also added a couple of international players in Kyshawn George from Switzerland and Michel Nwoko from Toronto. George adds good length (6’8”) and is a rangy shooter. Nwoko gives the Canes some much-needed length in the post that the team has sorely lacked recently. However, Larranaga has never shied away from playing small ball — largely out of necessity the previous two seasons — and he has the roster flexibility to play multiple players in different positions.

As such, it will take a little bit of time for the Canes to find their identity, but the talent is undoubtedly there for a return trip to the Final Four. — Craig T. Smith, State of the U, @CraigInThe843

No. 12 Arizona Wildcats

After Arizona was bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round by 15th-seeded Princeton, coach Tommy Lloyd made it his goal to beef up the team’s depth. He needed reinforcements, anyway, with two starters graduating, one turning pro and a fourth (point guard Kerr Kriisa) transferring to West Virginia.

The Wildcats added a pair of veterans with national championship game experience in Caleb Love (North Carolina) and Keshad Johnson (San Diego) as well as ex-Alabama guard Jaden Bradley. The freshman class includes three more European players, continuing Lloyd’s fondness for international talent that stems back to his time as a Gonzaga assistant.

Arizona plays one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country with early tests against Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Alabama and Florida Atlantic before Pac-12 play. The Wildcats are picked to be the final regular-season Pac-12 champ. — Brian J. Pedersen, AZ Desert Swarm, @realBJP

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Drew Timme is gone. Gonzaga is out of the AP Top 10 to start a season for the first time since 2017-2018. Yet, I have bigger expectations for the Zags than I have had in a while because they’re going under the radar.

It all starts with the Mayor of Spokane, Anton Watson. The 5th year senior has the full reins to the 2023-2024 squad. And with the addition of three veteran transfers (Ryan Nembhard - Creighton, Graham Ike - Wyoming, Steele Venters - Eastern Washington), this is one of the more underrated starting lineups in the country.

It really comes down to the depth of this roster. You see it in the frontcourt with Ben Gregg, Braden Huff, and Jun Seok Yeo but some question marks surround the backcourt players. Nolan Hickman and Dusty Stromer are going to be the X-factors all season long.

Gonzaga is testing itself once again with Mark Few setting up yet another stacked non-conference schedule (Maui Invitational, USC, at Washington, Connecticut, San Diego State, at Kentucky). Now, put aside all the outside talk of which conference the school could be potentially moving to. The West Coast Conference is no joke. Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara out of the Bay Area are all going to be battles and great preparation for what should be a deep March run. — Arden Cravalho, The Slipper Still Fits, @a_cravalho

No. 10 Florida Atlantic Owls

The Owls soared their way to the Final Four last season, and there’s no reason to think they won’t climb even higher in 2024. They finished 35-4 last season and won the most games of anyone in the country. They return all but one player and 90% of their scoring from that squad and will be loaded in 2023-24.

FAU embarks on its first season in the American Athletic Conference after participating in Conference USA. It was tabbed as the AAC preseason favorite.

Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin were named as the conference preseason Players of the Year. Davis led the squad with 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Martin was just behind him at 13.4 points and 5.3 boards. Both players are entering their fourth year with the program and bring a wealth of experience.

On top of a tough slate in the AAC, Florida Atlantic has a gauntlet to run through in the non-conference with Illinois, Arizona, Loyola Chicago, Liberty, Charleston and a stacked field in the ESPN Events Invitational. — Ian Sacks, Mid-Major Madness, @ianrsacks

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers

Rick Barnes might just have his best team yet at Tennessee, and that’s quite the statement to make. The Volunteers get back fifth-year veterans Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, while adding sharpshooters Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey out of the portal. Defensive ace Jahmai Mashack also returns, along with two key pieces in the frontcourt — Jonas Aidoo and the quickly emerging Tobe Awaka.

The wildcard for Tennessee is the status of point guard Zakai Zeigler, who is still working back from a torn ACL suffered in March. All indications point towards an early season return, which will give Barnes perhaps the most experienced backcourt in the country.

Tennessee will bring their elite defense back once again, they’ve added big-time shooting, and they can legitimately go 10 or 11 deep. It remains to be seen if Barnes can ever get over the March hump, but he’s certainly assembled a roster capable of going a long, long way come tourney time. — Terry Lambert, Rocky Top Talk, @TLambertTN

No. 8 Creighton Bluejays

The Bluejays are coming off a historic season in 2022-23. Head coach Greg McDermott lead the team to a third place finish in the always competitive Big East and finished the year with a very nice run in the NCAA tournament. There, they made it all the way to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history where they were finally defeated by eventual runner-up San Diego State.

This season could be even better with a trio of starters returning along with some key transfers and freshman that will most likely see the floor.

There are three returning starters to this years squad. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner, forward Baylor Scheierman, and guard Trey Alexadner all bring back exceptional talent to the team.

The 7’1” Kalkbrenner lead the Bluejays in scoring and averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks on the year. He will still dominate in the paint for Creighton and will most likely have little problem being challenged during the year. He was also a First Team All-Big East member.

Baylor Scheierman was the much lauded transfer from South Dakota State last season and averaged 12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Next to him is Trey Alexander at guard who averaged 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Both of which were Honorable Mention All-Big East members.

Also of note coming in are transfers Isaac Traudt from Virginia and Steven Ashworth from Utah State who could both see ample playing time for the Bluejays. — Patrick Gerhart, @PatrickGerhart

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

No. 7 Houston Cougars

The Cougars left the ranks of the mid-majors for greener pastures in the Big 12. Houston has won 30 games in three of the last five seasons and was ranked in the top five all season last year. It dominated the American Athletic Conference, losing just one conference game and finishing with a 33-4 overall record. It claimed a No. 1 seed before getting upset by Miami in the Sweet 16.

Now Kelvin Sampson and company step up in class. The Big 12 features two of the last three national champions in Kansas and Baylor. But the league is so much deeper than those two. Just look at Texas, Kansas St., TCU, etc.

Anyway, Houston is loaded once again this year. L.J. Cryer transferred in form Baylor, where he notched 15 points a game last season. He scored 30 points against Creighton in the NCAA tournament. He was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Jamal Shead is the top returning scorer after posting 10.5 points and a team-best 5.4 assists per game. Fellow starter J’Wan Roberts is also back in the mix. The big amassed 10 points and 7.7 rebounds a night in 2022.

The Cougars have reached the Sweet 16 in four straight NCAA tournaments. — Ian Sacks, Mid-Major Madness, @ianrsacks

No. 6 UConn Huskies

As winners of the 2023 national championship, the UConn Huskies go into this season with newfound respect. Though the school has four other ‘ships to its name, all in the last 25 years, this is the first for head coach Dan Hurley and the first as members of the new Big East.

The Huskies’ No. 6 ranking may be a make-up call for being unranked going into last year. They’re looking to replace the production and leadership of three stars who are now in the NBA: lottery pick and sharpshooter Jordan Hawkins, the dynamic Andre Jackson, who was the Bucks’ only draft pick, and Final Four MOP Adama Sanogo, who was on the opening day roster for the Chicago Bulls.

This year’s Huskies will have a different look, but 7-foot-3 Donovan Clingan along with five-star recruit Stephon Castle and returning starters Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban, plus Rutgers’ leading scorer Cam Spencer added via the portal, ensure that this is still a talented team.

Castle isn’t the only freshman expected to make an impact, as Solomon Ball, Jaylin Stewart, and Jayden Ross have been earning praise for their play as well after being part of a top-five incoming recruiting class nationally.

Hurley and his staff are bolstered by the validation they earned last year, and rightfully so. Players like Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson, excellent as they were, still were not blue-chip recruits. They built a champion in the NIL and transfer portal era that dominated the tourney field with a deep squad of guys they believed in, and they believe they can do it again.

Hurley has plainly stated that the goal is to be a top-10 team in offensive and defensive efficiency so that they can be a contender at the end of the year. They have the talent to do that for sure. Repeating will be difficult but the hope among Husky fans is that the program is restored to its previous glory, ready to be a perennial contender. — Aman Kidwai, The UConn Blog, @AmanfromCT

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles

A year ago, Marquette was picked to finish ninth in the Big East, and they had no one on the preseason all-conference list. They won the league by multiple games anyway and earned the program’s best ever NCAA tournament seed.

Head coach Shaka Smart enters his third season in Milwaukee with all but one of the rotation players from last year back for another go-round. The Golden Eagles are picked to win the Big East, four of the five projected starters are on a Hall of Fame Award preseason watch list, and MU is holding not only the program’s best preseason AP poll ranking since 1977-78, but the best AP poll position at all since that same season. It is, without a doubt, the most anticipated season of hoops at Marquette in recent memory.

Point guard Tyler Kolek, the Preseason Big East Player of the Year, leads that experienced cast, which includes preseason All-Big East Second Teamers in guard Kam Jones and center Oso Ighodaro. 2023 Big East Sixth Man of the Year David Joplin is expected to step into the starting lineup spot left open by Dallas Mavericks draft pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Sophomore guard Chase Ross seems poised for a breakout season, and 6’11” New Zealander Ben Gold may have a big role to play in the front court behind Ighodaro and Joplin. The bench is bolstered by the addition of three freshmen and, in a cut against the grain of the national trend, no transfers. Top 100 guard Tre Norman is the most notable name amongst the new guys. — Andrew Fleck, Anonymous Eagle, @brewtownAndy

No. 4 Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans return one of the most experienced rosters in the nation. Every single member of the starting five has at least one year (and most have 2+) of starting experience. Behind them is a very deep roster anchored by two vastly improved sophomores and the sixth rated recruiting class in the nation featuring four freshmen, three of whom are projected to play significant minutes.

Fifth year senior Tyson Walker is expected to lead the way in scoring again. Junior Jaden Akins is also expected to light up the scoreboard after a sophomore year slowed by injuries. Senior point guard AJ Hoggard is improving his deep shot and matured last year into a big bodied play maker that can bull his way to the rim against any defender. Fifth year senior Malik Hall is seen as underperforming by some but has been a consistent double digit scorer for most of his career.

The question for the Spartans will once again be the center position. Senior Mady Sissoko has talent but it still seems raw — even four years in. Sophomore center Carson Cooper may be the one to watch there as he surprised many as a freshman and looks even more confident this year.

Experience will lead the way but the freshman bring the buzz. Coen Carr has gone from YouTube highlight dunker to showing signs in the exhibitions (even against Tennessee) to being an end to end force. PG Jeremy Fears would be the featured guard on almost any other roster in the nation. And 6’11” Xavier Booker has skills that will leave fans screaming for more - even if his defense and lack of strength may sideline him in key moments.

No matter who is on the court for the Spartans this team expects to contend for a national championship. — Brandon Blackburn-Dwyer, The Only Colors, @Brandon_BD

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue is on a redemption tour, after their stunning loss to 16th seed FDU and results won’t be known until March (and hopefully April). The Boilermakers return the reigning National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, and that’s the most important part of the equation. Still, the largest Canadian in captivity anchored Purdue last season and couldn’t get them past FDU. In order to help their big man, Coach Painter made a few changes this season.

First, he hit the transfer portal for veteran Southern Illinois guard, Lance Jones, to increase the backcourt’s speed, athleticism, and press break ability. He inserted former 4-star, top-50 recruit Trey Kaufmann-Renn into the starting lineup at the 4, after he backed up Edey last season. He added former 4-star forward Camden Heide to the rotation after a redshirt year recovering from an injury and brought in 4-star wing Myles Colvin from the ‘23 recruiting class for an extra dose of running and shooting. All of these players are athletic upgrades over what they had last season.

Purdue is in a tough spot; anything less than a deep March run will be considered a failure, even if they sweep the Big Ten again this season. Matt Painter made a concerted effort to increase the athleticism around Edey, and Purdue’s all-freshman backcourt from last season has now become an all-sophomore backcourt. In theory, this team should be better than last year’s squad that spent a good portion of the season ranked #1.

We’ll have to wait until March to see how it plays out. — Drew Schneider, Hammer & Rails, @legendofsm

No. 2 Duke Blue Devils

Year II of the Jon Scheyer era at Duke looks promising. The Blue Devils return four starters - 7-0 Kyle Filipowski, 6-9 Mark Mitchell, 6-5 Tyrese Proctor (all sophomores) and 6-2 senior guard Jeremy Roach. The fifth starter? 6-3 freshman Jared McCain.

Filipowski, a likely lottery pick in next summer’s NBA Draft, is coming off of summer surgeries on both hips that has greatly helped his mobility. Mitchell is a glue player with immense versatility who can guard most players on the court at any given time. Point guard Proctor, who came to Duke late last year after competing internationally for Australia, was playing brilliantly by the end his freshman campaign. Roach played with an injured toe for much of last season. He’s fully healed so he should be vastly better.

McCain, who is a lively presence on Tik Tok, reminds you of former Georgia Tech guard Jose Alvarado. He plays with a lot of charisma and intelligence.

Scheyer has the luxury of a ridiculously deep backcourt: 6-5 freshman Caleb Foster, 6-2 junior Jaylen Blakes and 6-5 sophomore Jaden Schutt off the bench and all of them can hurt you.

Frontcourt reserves include Ryan Young, perhaps Duke’s most-loved transfer ever, 6-9 freshman Sean Stewart who recently broke Zion Williamson’s standing vertical record, 7-1 Christian Reeves and 6-9 freshman TJ Power, who is a classic Duke stretch four.

As a player, Scheyer was a very good but not great athlete, but he was unbelievably smart and shot very well. His three point shooting was a big key to Duke’s 2010 national championship.

He’s putting together a team that plays like he did, only much more athletic. In Duke’s exhibition against UNC Pembroke, Proctor hit four threes in the opening minutes.

Duke should have superb three point shooting to open the floor for Filipowski, Mitchell and the rest, and Scheyer proved himself as a coach last year. Rim protection is a potential weakness, but Stewart and Reeves may provide the answer there.

Like any team, Duke has questions and weaknesses, but this group is going to be in the national championship conversation. — Duke Basketball Report

Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas opens the year as the preseason #1 team in the country and for good reason. The Jayhawks bring back junior point guard and starter on the 2022 national championship squad, Dajuan Harris Jr. After testing the NBA draft waters, senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr came back to play this season as well. However the big story in the offseason was the addition of Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson. The 7’2” center was widely seen as the crown jewel of the 2023 transfer portal.

As happy as Kansas fans are with the roster, there are plenty of concerns. The lack of outside shooting is a glaring problem for this team. Bill Self brought in transfer Nick Timberlake who was Towson’s all time leader in three point field goals but it remains to be seen if he will be able to adjust to the grind of the Big 12.

Lack of roster depth is the other key issue facing Kansas. The Jayhawks lost freshman Marcus Adams Jr. when he decided to transfer to Gonzaga and later BYU over the summer. Texas transfer Arterio Morris was dismissed from the team after he was arrested in late September. This does shorten the bench considerably.

All in all, Kansas fans have plenty to be excited about this season. The returning starters plus other additions should make Kansas a deadly opponent next March. — Andrew Freeman, Rock Chalk Talk