Some new teams enter my preseason college basketball Top 25, but a lot of the top-tier programs stay the same
Rankings are subjective, a lot of people debate and argue about them, but they don’t have a major impact on the season. However, it can be a good tool for people to determine how they feel about certain teams, especially before the college basketball season begins.
I’m not sure how often I will post my Top 25 college basketball rankings, but I intend to do so multiple times during the season, so stay tuned for that. With the new college basketball season beginning on Monday, it’s time for some more rankings.
Without further ado, here are my preseason Top 25 rankings for College Basketball.
1. Houston (AAC)
Kelvin Sampson has another elite team in Houston for the 2022-23 season. They reached the Elite Eight last season even after the loss of Marcus Sasser, who returns as a preseason All-American selection. On top of Sasser’s return, the Cougars also return six other key players. Look out for 5-star freshman forward Jarace Walker who is likely to be in their starting five as the season begins.
2. Gonzaga (WCC)
It’s another college basketball season with a great roster for Mark few in Spokane. Drew Timme returns for what feels like his 10th season at Gonzaga, but either way, it’s a large boost for this team. They have a lot of depth at guard in a season where many teams don’t, Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton, and Nolan Hickman all return, and Malachi Smith transfers to Gonzaga from Chattanooga. This is the prototypical roster for Few, they’ll be really good again.
3. North Carolina (ACC)
The team that made a magical run from an 8-seed to the National Championship is back, except Brady Manek departs and Pete Nance comes in. A huge key for the regular season in Chapel Hill will run through the play of Caleb Love and RJ Davis, two of the most important guards in all of college basketball.
4. Baylor (Big 12)
It’s no surprise that Scott Drew has another fantastic team in Waco. Their roster this season is better than last season, and that’s saying a lot. A backcourt of Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer returns, as well as elite 5-star freshman Keyonte George. I think this team is running under the radar in some respects, I think this is the best team in the best conference in the country, and I don’t think it’s as close as others think.
5. Creighton (Big East)
There is certainly an argument to make that I’m overrating the Bluejays, but I’m impressed with their talent this college basketball season. Their point guard Ryan Nembhard makes his return from injury after an incredible freshman season before the injury. Other big returners are Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. On top of this, they brought in South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman, who is an efficient scorer. Their depth could be something to worry about this season, but this is a really good roster.
6. Kansas (Big 12)
The defending national champs get DaJuan Harris and Jalen Wilson back, but it’s going to be a newer roster for Bill Self this season. Key freshmen Gradey Dick and Ernest Udeh Jr. come into the fold and will likely start, and transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. from Texas Tech should start too. This is a good team, but I’m not that high on them as the season begins, but they will get better as the season unfolds.
7. Kentucky (SEC)
John Calipari gets reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe back as well as other key players like Sahvir Wheeler and Jacob Toppin. Look out for Iowa transfer guard CJ Frederick, he missed last season with an injury, but he’s a lethal shooter when healthy. Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston highlight a solid recruiting class. This team should be able to get out of the first round this season, I would think.
8. UCLA (Pac-12)
Mick Cronin has turned UCLA back into a legitimate college hoops program that consistently wins and has become a perennial top-15 team in the country. With players like Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jacquez Jr., the culture has been established in Westwood. Elite freshmen Adem Bona and Amari Bailey will play huge roles for the consensus favorite in the Pac-12.
9. Arkansas (SEC)
The Razorbacks have an entirely new roster in 2022-23 with two returning players from last season. A high-level freshman class highlighted by Nick Smith, Anthony Black, and Jordan Walsh makes them a team with a massively high ceiling. I trust Eric Musselman to have success with this talented of a roster, but I’ll warn of a potentially slow start for them, but I’m buying into the hype.
10. San Diego State (MWC)
This is a team with a ton of veterans, they have a projected starting lineup with four seniors and a junior. They’ll be an incredibly tough defensive team led by Matt Bradley. They’re so tough and in my mind, they’re the runaway favorite in the Mountain West.
11. Texas (Big 12)
Last season was a year of “wait and see” with so many new pieces for Chris Beard in Austin. This season is different, they have a very dynamic backcourt with Marcus Carr and Iowa State transfer standout Tyrese Hunter. Outside of those two, they also returned three other starters Timmy Allen, Dylan Disu, and Christian Bishop. This team will be really good by March and far more representative of a Chris Beard team.
12. Tennessee (SEC)
Rick Barnes loses Kennedy Chandler from last season but has Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, Josiah-Jordan James, and others back for this season. They’ll be a scrappy and tough team in the SEC, but I worry about consistent scoring for them, defense should not be an issue. Look for the Vols to be a 5 seed at worst in the tournament this season.
13. Villanova (Big East)
Despite the retirement of Jay Wright, the Wildcats are still in a great position to contend with new head coach Kyle Neptune. It could be a slow start to the college basketball season with a couple of freshmen starting, but veterans like Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater, Eric Dixon, and Justin Moore (who could return later in the season) should help them succeed. On the bright side, they are expected to have more quality depth than they did last season.
14. TCU (Big 12)
The best conference in America is the Big 12. TCU is another team that should contend for a quality seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were a couple of plays away from beating 1 seed Arizona in last year’s tournament. Their leader is point guard Mike Miles, who averaged 15.4 points per game last season. They also brought back just about everybody from the 2021-22 team.
15. Duke (ACC)
I’m not as high as others on the Blue Devils this season. While very talented, they are an incredibly young team with a brand new head coach Jon Scheyer. They’ll likely start four freshmen once Dariq Whitehead is healthy and that could be a problem in a conference littered with veteran-led teams. They have a ton of talent, but it’s going to take a while for them to get everything figured out.
16. Arizona (Pac-12)
Year one in Tuscon was great for head coach Tommy Lloyd. Despite the losses of Dalen Terry, Bennedict Mathurin, and Christian Koloko, the Wildcats should be really good again. They brought in Texas transfer and veteran guard Courtney Ramey to pair with Kerr Kriisa in the backcourt. Look out for Pelle Larson and Azuolas Tubelis to make huge strides from last season.
17. Indiana (Big Ten)
The divisive team of the Big Ten is Mike Woodson’s Indiana Hoosiers. They are the conference favorite, but there are still a few questions for this squad. They get back All-American candidate Trayce Jackson-Davis and other key pieces, but how good will Jalen Hood-Schifino be as a freshman? If Xavier Johnson is consistent, the Hoosiers should live up to the hype.
18. Alabama (SEC)
Nate Oats brings in another quality recruiting class to Tuscaloosa and has key returners as well. Brandon Miller has the potential to be one of those special freshman players. I like the makeup of this team a lot, but they’ll have a lot to get through with a great SEC in front of them.
19. Texas Tech (Big 12)
Despite losing both Kevin McCullar Jr. and Terrence Shannon Jr., the Red Raiders have another good roster for the 2022-23 season. Kevin Obanor returns to the lineup, but they’ll likely have four new starters alongside him. They are a lengthy team and don’t be surprised if it takes some time for them to figure it out, but their defense will travel all season under head coach Mark Adams.
20. Oregon (Pac-12)
Length is the name of the game for Dana Altman’s team in Eugene this season. Will Richardson returns to lead the team in his senior season. High-level freshman Kel’el Ware will likely start from day one, and Quincy Guerrier, N’Faly Dante, and others return. Nearly every rotation player for the Ducks will be 6-foot-5 or above, which will be a major advantage for them.
21. Illinois (Big Ten)
Another team with a largely new roster this season is Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini. Outside of Coleman Hawkins, RJ Melendez, and Luke Goode, they have four freshmen and three transfers into the fold. Look for Skyy Clark and Ty Rodgers to be high-impact freshmen, and Terrence Shannon Jr. will have a big season. It’s another talented roster with a major ceiling despite the loss of two-time All-American Kofi Cockburn.
22. Michigan (Big Ten)
All-American center Hunter Dickinson is back in Ann Arbor for head coach Juwan Howard. They’ll rely plenty on Princeton transfer Jaelin Llewellyn and sophomore Kobe Bufkin. It’ll be interesting what kind of contributions they get from freshmen this season, namely Jett Howard and Tarris Reed Jr. This team should be right towards the top of the Big Ten with Indiana and Illinois.
23. UConn (Big East)
I’ve always been a big believer in Dan Hurley and what he’s doing at UConn, but the last couple of collegte basketball seasons have ended poorly. They’re losing a lot of production from last season with Tyrese Martin, RJ Cole, and others departing, but they are still plenty talented. Adama Sanogo could be the conference player of the year this season, don’t be surprised if he is. Either way, Hurley must rely on a lot of new faces this season, but that could work with the state of the Big East.
24. Xavier (Big East)
To the surprise of no one, Sean Miller has a quality roster in his first season at Xavier. Four starters return for the reigning NIT champions, three of which averaged double-digit points last season. They also have UTEP transfer Souley Boum, who averaged 19.8 points per game last season, as a likely projected starter. The bottom line is that Miller is back in college hoops and has a lot to work with in his first season in Cincinnati.
25. Dayton (Atlantic 10)
A ton of players return for Anthony Grant at Dayton this season. Malachi Smith is poised for a breakout season and DaRon Holmes II could be another breakout candidate too. If the Flyers can take more care of the basketball, they’ll have even more success with this talented group.
*Just Missed: Virginia, Auburn, Notre Dame, Florida
College Basketball Teams Per Conference
- ACC – 2
- Big East – 4
- Big Ten – 3
- Big 12 – 5
- Pac-12 – 3
- SEC – 4
- AAC – 1
- A10 – 1
- WCC – 1
- MWC – 1
The season is about to begin, it’s going to be another fun season of college hoops. Stay tuned for more possible rankings throughout the season and Big Ten/Illini basketball coverage as well.
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