Duke tops early men’s preseason Top 25
NEW ORLEANS – The 2021-22 men’s college basketball season is officially in the books following one of the most exciting Final Fours in the sport’s history.
But now that Kansas has cut down the nets and an epic 2022 NCAA Tournament is over, we can look at the season ahead.
Events of the offseason – players entering the NBA draft, late decisions among incoming freshmen and a transfer portal that’s become like an open free agency – are sure to shake things up. And the carry-over of an extra year of eligibility awarded because of the pandemic will continue to keep the sport trending experienced vs. one and done.
But for now, here’s a look at the teams best positioned to be among the nation’s elite come November, when the 2022-23 season tips off:
1. Duke (32-7): First-year head coach Jon Scheyer, the replacement to legend Mike Krzyzewski, will have talent to keep the Blue Devils as perennial title contenders despite likely losing the core of Duke’s Final Four team to the NBA draft. The 34-year-old coach has a No. 1 class of five-star freshmen coming in, including the top three prospects in the ’22 class – Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively. They’ll join NCAA Tournament breakout stars Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, who are expected to be back in Durham, North Carolina.
2. UCLA (27-8): The Bruins, by many counts, underachieved in 2021-22 after a season in which they unexpectedly reached the Final Four and brought virtually everyone back. The same nucleus is likely to return for Mick Cronin after a disappointing Sweet 16 finish this season.
3. North Carolina (29-10): Brady Manek has no more eligibility left and it’s uncertain whether the team’s stars, Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, go pro. But R.J. Davis will be back and coach Hubert Davis has reinvigorated this blue blood program to be an annual contender.
4. Kentucky (26-8): This prediction is assuming Oscar Tshiebwe, USA TODAY Sports’ national player of the year, returns for a Wildcats team that will be looking to avenge a stunning first-round loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
5. Gonzaga (28-4): Stud freshman Chet Holmgren is NBA-bound, but twotime All-American Drew Timme (18.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is expected to be back, giving the Bulldogs their top player to build around.
6. Kansas (34-6): Leading scorer and first-team All-American guard Ochai Agbaji is gone and so is NCAA Tournament breakout star Remy Martin. But defending champion Kansas could potentially bring back big man David McCormack and fellow starters Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr.
7. Arkansas (28-9): Coach Eric Musselman has had the Razorbacks knocking on the door of the Final Four, with back-to-back Elite Eight finishes, since taking over the program.
8. Michigan (19-15): Coach Juwan Howard took the Wolverines all the way to the Elite Eight in his first season but this past season was trending toward disaster before this Michigan group – as a bubble team – staged a reinvigorating Sweet 16 run.
9. Houston (32-6): Coach Kelvin Sampson should get his nucleus from an Elite Eight team back, including a healthy Marcus Sasser, and five-star freshman Jarace Walker will add even more muscle to blend in with Sampson’s nation-leading defense.
10. Baylor (27-7): The fact the Bears lost a boatload of talent to the NBA from 2021’s national title team and coach Scott Drew still got the team to come back as a No. 1 seed is proof the Bears belong in the top 10 despite another round of key losses.
11. Illinois (23-10): This prediction is going off the idea of first-team All-American Kofi Cockburn returning for the Fighting Illini, who have underachieved in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments by exiting in the second round.
12. TCU (21-13): Virtually everyone important should be back for a Horned Frogs group that nearly knocked off No. 1 Arizona in the NCAA Tournament and fared well (upsetting Kansas) in the Big 12 this past season.
13. Arizona (33-4): The Wildcats will surely lose first-team All-American Bennedict Mathurin to the NBA draft but coach Tommy Lloyd will have ample talent left to keep Arizona near the top of the Pac-12.
14. Villanova (30-8): Coach Jay Wright is going to see his veteran-laden roster depleted this offseason but he’ll have Justin Moore back from an Achilles injury and a top-10 freshmen class to rebuild.
15. Creighton (23-12): Coach Gregg McDermott is likely to see his team be one of many benefitting from the NCAA’s extra season of eligibility granted because of the pandemic, meaning many of his veterans that got Creighton to the brink of beating Kansas this year will be back for more as a seasoned group in 2022-23.
16. Texas Tech (27-10): First-year coach Mark Adams had a bare-bones roster once he took over the program last year and then the Red Raiders finished third in the Big 12 and reached the Sweet
16. So no matter how much talent is leaving, Adams will get this team to be elite again on defense. The top returner should be guard Kevin McCullar.
17. Virginia (21-14): The Cavaliers are poised to return to more of a contending status after missing the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team this past March. Coach Tony Bennett returns Armaan Franklin, among others, and will have a strong recruiting class to fit his signature system of a slowed-tempo offense and pack-line defense.
18. Texas (22-12): Coach Chris Beard hauled in an elite freshman class behind five-star recruits Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris. Expect the Longhorns to hit big in the transfer portal, too, with Beard having the top-rated transfer group last offseason.
19. Alabama (19-14): The Crimson Tide bring back all the key pieces from an underachieving group this past season. Combine the experience with a top-five recruiting class for coach Nate Oates and Alabama should be back near the top of the SEC in 2022-23.
20. Notre Dame (24-11): Coach Mike Brey figures to bring back a sizable chunk from a roster that finished third in the ACC and staged a strong NCAA Tournament finish. Even with leading scorer Blake Wesley leaving for the NBA, the Irish should still be in the national equation.
21. Auburn (28-6): The Tigers will lose their best player in All-American Jabari Smith, but guards K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. return in the backcourt from a team that tailed off early but was in line for a No. 1 seed in February.
22. Tennessee (27-8): There’s a strong chance that standout guard Kennedy Chandler goes pro, but coach Rick Barnes should have plenty left to compete in the SEC, including returning starters Santiago Vescovi and JosiahJordan James.
23. Dayton (24-11): Coach Anthony Grant had the youngest roster in all of college basketball in 2021-22. And yet, the Flyers competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference and were listed as the first bubble team out of the projected field.
24. Xavier (23-13): Sean Miller’s first season back leading the Musketeers should be a good one. He’ll inherit a core pack of players who just won the NIT and likely have an even more seasoned group via the transfer portal.
25. Colorado State (25-6): Assuming the Rams bring back David Roddy (19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg), they’ll be positioned to outduel San Diego State in the Mountain West and stay in the national equation.